Count On It
by KJLesser
Summary: Uzumaki Naru's dream is to become the next Hokage. She would do anything to make that dream come true. Unfortunately for her there are those who would do anything to stop her. This is her story. This is her life.
1. Episode 1: So It Begins

**Count On It**

**Episode 1: "So It Begins"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this story.**

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><p>The sun shone brightly through the window as the sharp ringing of an alarm echoed throughout the room. A small pale hand jerked forward, quickly knocking the orange clock from the bedside table, before pulling back to the bundle of blankets just as fast. "Geez! One of these days I'm going to shove a kunai through that stupid clock" grumbled a slightly muffled voice from under the blankets. The small bundle on the bed squirmed and shifted for a moment before the person underneath realized that they weren't getting back to sleep anytime soon. "Yeah… definitely going to kill that clock."<p>

With a muffled curse the bundled up person tossed the pile blankets off and swung their legs around, planting their feet to the cool hardwood floor. A mighty yawn and, a rather cat like stretch followed as the person stood up revealing the form of a disgruntled young girl. Sudden realization came upon the girl her bright blue eyes widening. "Oh crap, what day is it?" she asked herself. Her annoyance toward being rudely awoken was soon forgotten as she rushed over to the calendar hanging from the wall next to her modest, single sized bed.

The calendar read, May 21st. The girl let out a yelp while she dashed over to her dresser. The first drawer was ripped open, clothes flying everywhere; "Damn it all! I can't be late!" The unnamed girl shot around the room like a lightning bolt alternating between getting dressed, and preparing her equipment. Finally after a hectic five minutes, the girl stood before her full length mirror. A vision of beauty stared back at the girl, even if she didn't realize it herself. From golden blonde hair, to her bright blue eyes, to the identical marks on her face which closely resembled whiskers. The girl was certainly unique in a village filled mostly with people of a darker coloration.

It was this same unique quality that kept most people from noticing the state of her clothing and equipment. The girl bit her lip and smiled nervously at her own reflection. "Well here goes nothing!" She mulled over her image once more, trying to ignore the worn quality of her now slightly off white shirt. The faded brown skirt that ended just above her knees which laid over a pair of old but comfortable shorts. The girl frowned as she considered the need for new equipment. Her weapon pouches were beginning to fray, the shuriken pouch around her waist wasn't so bad but the kunai holster on her thigh was almost unusable. "Well at least the sandals will still be good for a while."

It was with this final thought that the girl's uncertain smile turned into a grin. The grin quickly turned in to a look of horror when the girl remembered that she was going to be late. So with one final glance at the mirror the blonde hopped onto her bed. Opening the window she stepped onto a small balcony, a slight breeze passed; by ruffling the girl's short blonde hair, the tips of which curled slightly against her neck. The girl closed her eyes and inhaled the clean fresh air. Her blue eyes opened once again and gazed over the edge of the balcony. Taking a step back the girl braced herself for a moment, before darting forward. With a short leap she hopped onto the railing, continuing to whisk from roof top to roof top.

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><p>Wind whipped past the girl as she took off in a run, arms aerodynamically positioned behind her. Coming to the edge of the roof she once again leaped to the next one. This same process repeated itself over and over as the village's rooftops became her playground. The blonde almost forgot that she was running late in the simplicity of her run; Almost. The girl was half-way to her destination when a figure in a hooded cloak pulled up alongside her. The genderless figure turned their head to her, its' stride unbroken, revealing a clay mask in the shape of a bear with red paint swirled over it in a simple design. A decidedly male voice emanated from the figure "Uzumaki-kun, shouldn't you be at the academy by now?" Before the girl could respond a second cloaked figure pulled up on the opposite side, "Oh leave her alone Bear-san, It must have been something truly important to keep her from being on time today of all days."<p>

The second cloaked figure, decidedly a female by the sound of her voice with a lion shaped mask, turned to the blond haired child and nodded before bringing her hands together and disappearing in a puff of smoke and a swirl of leaves. The young girl pouted, "Why can't I do that?" The cloaked man let out a small chuckle "You'll learn with time, Uzumaki-kun." With that last statement and a nod of his own, the man in the bear mask took his leave.

It took another ten minutes for the blonde to reach her final destination. The girl jumped from the top of a short building to the walkway leading to the entrance to the academy. Even running at her top speed, it was another couple of minutes before the girl reached the classroom. Skidding to a stop the girl grabbed a hold of the door and slid it open with a slam. "I'm here, I'm here!", "YOU'RE LATE!" screamed the instructor. The girl flinched and nearly whimpered in the presence of her instructor's anger. "It wasn't my fault Iruka-sensei, the stupid ala…" Iruka shut his eyes and rubbed at his temples in a vain attempt to ward off the headache he normally associated with one Uzumaki Naru. "Naru just… just get to your seat."

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><p>Naru smiled slightly before walking gingerly to her seat beside a young boy with black hair that closely resembled the back end of a duck. "Good morning, Sasuke!" Naru said cheerfully. The raven haired boy turned his dark gaze to his overly bright classmate, "Hn…" "Wow Sasuke it almost sounds like you're happy to see me," she responded. Sasuke sneered at her, "No one, in their right mind, is happy to see you Dobe." Naru's bright expression soured as a growl escaped her lips. She was about to respond when a piece of chalk slapped into her forehead. "Ow!" Iruka once again yelled at the girl, his head seeming to grow larger the angrier he got, "Sit down and shut up!" The young girl quickly sat down and tried not to fidget as the instructor began to speak.<p>

"As you all know today you will be taking the graduation exam. For some of you this will be the culmination of four years of hard work. For others it will mean at least one more year of schooling." Iruka allowed a small smile at the expressions on the faces of his students. "However, pass or fail, I want you to remember one thing," He paused for a moment allowing the words to sink in; "and that one thing is why?" Iruka gazed across the classroom noting the slightly puzzled looks that his students were giving him. "Before you take your graduation exam today, I want you all to ask yourselves, 'why do I want to be a shinobi?'." He almost chuckled at the different expressions on their faces but he didn't want to ruin the moment. Iruka was about to continue his little speech when a familiar blonde had jumped on top of her desk and pointed a finger at him. "I don't have to ask myself why Iruka-sensei! I know why I want to be a shinobi." Naru turned to her classmates with a grin on her face. "My name is Uzumaki Naru, and I will be the next Hokage. Count on it!"

Naru's moment of glory was short lived, as a book was sent sailing towards her. She let out yelp when the book slammed into her forehead, knocking her back and off of the desk. Naru's flight was cut short as she crashed into the student seated below her. "Get the hell off of me you dumb blonde!" yelled the student who had been knocked to the ground. The room full of students broke out in laughter at her misfortune. With a nervous chuckle Naru quickly rose to her feet, left hand going to the back of her head in a sign of embarrassment, "Sorry... Uh…" The boy got up himself and narrowed his eyes at her "You don't even know who I am, do you?" Naru's hand slowly dropped to her side; a look of confusion settling across her face. Before Naru could respond though, Iruka slammed his hand on top of his desk. "If I have to tell you to sit down and shut up one more time..." The instructor allowed the rest of his threat to go unspoken. The room quieted down as both Naru and the unnamed boy returned to their respective seats.

"Now as I was saying…" Iruka paused for a moment struggling to remember what he was going to say "…just forget it, we'll begin the exams now." Iruka turned to his assistant a man with light gray hair covered by a bandana. "Mizuki-sensei, if you would please." With a small nod to his fellow instructor Mizuki rose to face the class "Alright here is how it's going to work: The first portion will be a written test. This test will be 20 questions long. You will have one hour to complete it and you are required to show your work

While Mizuki was going over the instructions with the class Iruka was placing a test face down on each of the student's desks, along with a freshly sharpened pencil. As he passed by each one of his students he would offer them a smile and a word of encouragement; until he reached the bane of his teaching career at which point his smile slowly turned into a frown. Naru looked up at her teacher with a nervous smile. "Hello Iruka-sensei." Iruka closed his eyes and let out a sigh "Listen Naru, this is your third time taking this test, and each year you fail because of stupid little mistakes. I want you to take your time and follow the instructions. Oh, and for the love of God, double check your work." The young blonde gulped and nodded. "I will Iuka-sensei, I won't fail this time. Count on it!" Iruka smiled at his student's trademark exclamation, "I'm sure you'll do just fine Nauru." The instructor took a moment to ruffle the girl's short hair before moving on.

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><p>Iruka returned to the front of the classroom once he finished handing out the tests. He addressed the class, "Alright you all have 60 minutes. Begin." Each student turned over his or her own test sheet, once Iruka gave the signal. The next hour was filled with the sounds of lead against paper, rubber erasers being used furiously, and the occasional curse uttered by a frustrated student. All too soon, however, the hour was coming to an end. The final seconds ticked by with Iruka staring at a clock hanging from the back wall of the class room. He patiently watched, waiting for the second hand to reach the hour mark. "And time! All right pencils down. Mizuki will now come around and collect your tests. Please be patient as we will be grading them immediately."<p>

The two instructors sat at their shared desk, dividing the test papers equally between them. Gathering his half of the tests Iruka once again addressed the class; "When we call your name please come to the front of the class where you will receive your grade. If you receive a failing grade than we ask that you please exit the classroom immediately. If you receive a passing grade than please return to your seat, so we can explain the second portion of the exam." Mizuki gazed at the test paper in front of him. "Alright first up is Aburame Shino." A tall boy with messy hair and dark sunglasses walked to the front of the room stopping in front of Mizuki. The gray haired instructor looked over the test paper for a moment before handing it to the young Aburame. "Congratulations Aburame-kun you pass." Shino took the paper and bowed respectfully before returning to his seat.

At the same time that Mizuki was congratulating Shino, Iruka was offering his condolences to a student who unfortunately had failed. After Iuka finished consoling the young boy he moved on to the next paper. This process repeated itself over and over again, until both instructors each held one final test. Iruka glanced at the paper before reading off the name, "Uzumaki Naru," while Mizuki followed with "Yamanaka Ino." The two blondes both stood and made their way to the front. Yamanaka Ino was the very image of confidence as she stood before Mizuki; head held high, a smirk playing across her lips. However the same could not be said for Naru. As Iruka had mentioned before when speaking to her, this was Naru's third time taking the graduation exam and it definitely showed in the nervous way she held herself, hands fiddling the with edge of her skirt.

Iruka wasn't blind to Naru's current state of distress, so he didn't delay in revealing her fate. "Congratulations Naru you pass." The words were barely out of Iruka's mouth before Naru launched herself over the desk tackling the unsuspecting instructor. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you!" The blonde girl was hugging Iruka so hard he thought he could hear his ribs cracking. "Don't thank me Naru; you're the one who managed to pass. Although it was by the skin of your teeth." he said good naturedly as he ruffled her hair. Iruka had to end their little moment of bonding when Inuzuka Kiba wolf whistled. "She's a little young for you; isn't she Sensei?" said the rather wild looking boy.

Naru spluttered while getting up and stepping away from Iruka as quickly as possible, her cheeks burning. "Shut up Kiba! Or I'll turn you into dog food." The young Inuzuka let out a barking laugh. "Hah I'd like to see you try, Dead-Last." Naru let out a growl her blush darkening as she began to stomp her way over to Inuzuka. "Enough!" yelled Iruka "Naru, he was just joking. Kiba, one more comment like that, and I'll change that passing grade to a failing one." Mizuki had remained quiet during this whole exchange, waiting for the other's antics to finish. Once things had settled down and Uzumaki returned to her seat, Mizuki turned to Ino who was beginning to become impatient. "You pass." Ino grabbed her test paper with a huff and gave Naru a dirty look before returning to her seat.

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><p>Iruka, once again, addressed the class after they had settled down. "Alright; Now that the written portion of the exam is complete, we will be moving on to the practical portion." The fifteen students, who were left, let out a collective sigh of relief. "Thank God, no more stupid tests." mumbled Naru. Kiba took this opportunity to [once again] antagonize the somewhat ditzy blonde. "Yeah one more question, and you'd probably fry your brain." Naru was about to go over and proceed to beat Kiba senseless, when a cough from the front of the classroom caught her attention. "Why don't we all head outside to begin the practical test before we have to explain to Hokage-sama why we let the students kill each other?" Mizuki said to Iruka only half joking.<p>

Iruka moved away from his desk and stepped closer to the front row of the class, which was now empty. "Now I would like for the rest of you to head outside to the range, where we will begin the first part of the practical test." he said as the class collectively rose from their seats and began heading for the door that lead outside. "Everyone one of you should have a standard academy set of Number Two kunai; as well as a set of Type Three shuriken. If you do not have a set of your own, or if the set you have is of poor condition, you may use some of the school's stock." Iruka's gaze was pointed at Naru as he said this. Naru knew that the state of her weapons was appalling, but she had to make due with what little she could buy on her monthly allowance from the Department of Orphans. "My equipment is just fine Iruka-sensei." Naru huffed.

"I just want you to have the best shot at passing; Naru." Iruka said in an attempt to placate the girl. Naru paused at the door leading to the range, "I'm going to pass this test no matter what Iruka-sensei … Count on that." She said confidently, stepping way through the door, into the bright midday sun, to face her next trial on the path to becoming Hokage.

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><p><strong>Well I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I have been an avid fan of fanfiction for many years and this is my first try at actually writing one. If you enjoyed it and even if you didn't please review.<strong>


	2. Episode 2: So It Continues?

**Count On It**

**Episode 2: "So It Continues?"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this story.**

**A/N: Unfortunately my editor has moved and will be unable to continue to edit this story. Since you all have waited long enough I give you chapters 2 and 3 in its raw form. When I can grab a new editor I will go back and fix up the chapters. So for now enjoy.**

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><p>Naru stepped from the doorway leading to the practice range her small hand going up to shield he eyes from the sun. The young girl walked over to the rest of her classmates who were lined up in front of their instructors. Naru soon dropped her hand as her eyes adjusted to the bright midday sun. The range was a large fenced in area beside the academy that was littered with trees with targets painted on them. Along with the trees there were carved wooden posts that had a roughly human shape. Iruka coughed lightly to get the attention of the class. "Alright, we're about to begin the second part of the exam" Iruka said once they all seemed to be listening. "This part of the exam, the practical test will be broken up into three portions. The first portion will be a test of your skills with standard throwing weapons such as kunai and shuriken. This will be followed up by a test of your taijutsu skills. The final portion will be to see if you can successfully perform the three academy taught jutsu" he continued.<p>

Iruka took a step back once he finished explaining the practical test and gestured to his fellow instructor. Mizuki took his cue and stepped forward to address the class "So when I call your name I want you to step up the line marked on the ground. You will have four chances each with both kunai and shuriken to make a lethal hit on that target" he gestured to the human shaped target standing approximately 30 yards away from the line. "You must make at least one lethal hit with each type of weapon to pass" he finished. Mizuki took the clipboard offered to him by Iruka and read off the first name "Aburame Shino."

The excitable blonde clapped politely with the rest of the class as each student made at least two lethal hits with each weapon. She even joined in the wild cheering that erupted when Hyuuga Hinata got a lethal hit with each of her eight tries. However she stood there grumbling in anger while everyone else cheered as Sasuke accomplished the same feat. "Alright class, settle down! Uzumaki you're up" Mizuki said. Naru's annoyance slowly turned into trepidation as she headed towards the line. By the time she finally reached the starting point that very same trepidation had settled in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight.

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><p>"Okay Naru when you're ready" Iruka said before giving her an encouraging smile. Naru nodded with a gulp and reached into her weapons pouch. The young academy student pulled out four shuriken and set her stance "I'm ready Iruka-sensei!" Iruka gave a silent nod to Mizuki who responded with a sharp "Begin!" As soon as Mizuki gave the go ahead Naru let a shuriken fly with a quick flick of her wrist. The small piece of metal sliced through the air before slamming into the target's wooden shoulder with a thunk. "Damn it!" Naru said through gritted teeth. "Miss!" said Mizuki clearly.<p>

Naru bit her lip, her brow furrowing in concentration. She took a deep breath and held it before lashing out with her arm. The wannabe shinobi once again released a shuriken with a flick her eyes shutting tight as she prayed silently. Less than a second later the sound of metal digging into wood was heard. Mizuki responded once again declaring a non lethal strike. He had to do the same when she failed to make a lethal strike on her third try as well. Naru opened her eyes and let out a small whimper when she realized that she only had one shot left.

She was about to throw her final shuriken when Iruka grabbed her wrist. "Wait a moment Naru" Iruka said before taking her final shuriken. He examined it while making his way over to Mizuki. "Mizuki take a look at this shuriken" he said to his fellow instructor. Mizuki took the offered shuriken and weighed it in his hand before taking a close look at the edges. "Where did you get this shuriken from Uzumaki-kun it's a piece of junk" Mizuki said with a frown.

Naru's cheeks turned a light shade of pink when her fellow classmates began to snicker after Mizuki's comment on her shuriken. "I got them from the Kobuki weapons shop. The dealer said that they were really high quality and that's why they cost so much" the young blonde snapped in embarrassment. Mizuki let out a sigh and walked up to Naru. He held up the shuriken so she could see before flipping it around a few times "Uzumaki-kun whoever sold you this weapon ripped you off. The balance is all wrong, the metal is of a poor quality and it barely has an edge." Mizuki turned and walked back over to Iruka. The two Chunin had a brief whispered conversation before breaking apart.

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><p>Iruka walked back over to Naru and reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a shuriken. "Normally you would be stuck with using that shuriken since you already began the test" Iruka said. "However after discussing it with Mizuki we have decided to let you use this one. You will still have just one more shot though" he explained while offering the new shuriken to Naru.<p>

Naru reached out and took the shuriken from Iruka. She gave it a quick glance, noting the razor sharp edge to it. Iruka stepped back giving the girl some room before signaling to Mizuki. "Alright Naru when you are ready" the gray haired instructor said. Naru gave a slight nod and set her stance once again. She closed her eyes and took a few deep even breaths. When she opened her eyes again her blue eyes burned with determination and it was with this same determination that she launched the new shuriken at the target. The shuriken flew through the air and slammed into the target.

Naru blinked.

Iruka Blinked.

Mizuki blinked.

The entire class blinked in surprise when the shuriken hit the target in the head. They were shocked that not only did she get a lethal hit but the fact that the shuriken was buried three quarters of the way into the wooden target. Mizuki gulped and stuttered out "H…h...hit!" Naru seemed oblivious to everyone else's shock as she jumped up and down in joy "Hah I did it."

Iruka coughed into his hand to hide smile of relief from Naru "Alright Naru I know you want to celebrate but remember you still have to get a lethal hit with a kunai as well to pass this part of the test." The girl nodded eagerly at first however her smile soon turned into a frown when she realized something "But Sensei my kunai are the same as the shuriken I got them from that same dealer." Iruka gave the girl a sad smile "Don't worry Naru we'll provide you with the kunai." Saying this he reached into his holster and withdrew four kunai before offering them to his student.

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><p>Naru took the offered weapons and spent the next couple of minutes surprising the hell out of her fellow classmates as she got one lethal hit after another. By the time she had gone through all four kunai the entire classes jaws were nearly touching the ground. Iruka turned to Mizuki "Remind me to contact the Hokage about that weapons dealer's selling practices." Mizuki could only nod silently in response.<p>

The class continued to stare at Naru in shock while she reached up to play with her hair nervously. Eventually it became too much for the blonde and she snapped at her classmates "What the hell are you all looking at?" Kiba once again showed his lack of tact when he responded "You dead last. No one at least anyone who is human gets that much better just because they switched weapons no matter how crappy they are."

"Maybe she isn't human. Maybe she's some kind of demon" said a thin girl with long bubblegum pink hair. Most of the class was too busy laughing at Naru's expense to notice the look of horror that adorned their instructors' faces. Ino was about to respond when Iruka decided to stop this line of thought in its tracks even if it was based on a joke "That's enough Sakura! Leave Naru alone. It isn't her fault that she was ripped off." Sasuke snorted at this "Of course it's her fault. She's an idiot."

Naru growled and launched herself at Sasuke with the intention of throttling him however she was stopped short by Iruka who had gotten a hold of the back of her shirt. "I said that's enough!" yelled the exasperated instructor "One more word out of either of you…" Iruka left the rest unspoken as he looked from Naru to Sasuke daring them to say something. The temperamental blonde let out a huff and turned her head while her raven haired counterpart responded with a "Hn…"

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><p>Iruka was about to tear into Sasuke for speaking when Mizuki placed a hand on his shoulder "Iruka maybe we should move this along and get to the next portion of the test." Iruka shut his eyes and took a deep breath before letting go of Naru "Yes let's get on with this." Iruka waved his hand in the air once to grab everyone's attention "I'm glad to see that all 15 of you have passed this portion of the practical test but that was just the beginning. Quite frankly we would have been disappointed had any of you actually failed this part."<p>

Mizuki took his lead from Iruka "Now the real fun begins. You will be tested on your taijutsu. This will be accomplished through a one on one spar with a fellow classmate. The matches have already been set based upon our observations of your skill level." Mizuki was about to continue when Sakura interrupted "But Sensei there are 15 of us."

"Yes there are 15 of you, however because Hinata uses a special form of taijutsu taught by her clan she will be exempt from this part of the test" responded Iruka. "Oh okay" said Sakura. "Now if there are no more interruptions maybe we can begin before the sun sets" Mizuki said sarcastically. Iruka chuckled as he flipped the page on his clipboard before reading off the first match "Alright first up is Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino."

Naru was once again forced to hold in her excitement as she was forced to watch her fellow students face each other in a light spar. The long wait was torture for someone like herself who was so hyperactive and full of energy. The excitement wasn't the only thing bothering her though. She figured that Iruka would put her against one of the weaker fighters in the class because of her so called dead last status.

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><p>Naru was shocked when Iruka got to the end of the list and the only ones yet to go where her and Sasuke. While Naru was shocked into silence Sasuke certainly was not and he made his displeasure known. "You expect me to test myself against that idiot" he said through clenched teeth. The rest of the class excluding Naru voiced their agreement with the Uchiha. Iruka turned to Sasuke to chastise him for his insult however Naru's sucker punch got to the raven haired student first.<p>

Sasuke was caught off guard and knocked to the ground by the force of Naru's punch. The two instructors looked on in shock alongside the rest. "Don't underestimate me you bastard!" Naru said hotly. At the same time that Naru was making her statement Sasuke had gotten up and was going to go after the blonde when a hand grabbed his shoulder. "Save it for the match Uchiha-kun" said Mizuki politely.

While Mizuki was restraining Sasuke, Iruka was tearing into Naru for hitting Sasuke outside of their spar. "And I swear by the Hokage that I will fail you if you try something like that again" he finished. The young blonde cringed. "S… Sorry Iruka-sensei!" Iruka shut his eyes tightly, his hand going up to rub at the scar that ran across the bridge of his nose "Just get in position Naru, you too Sasuke. Let's get this over with already."

Naru nodded and walked over to the area that was used for sparring. Sasuke followed soon after and took his place across from the girl who dared to sucker punch him "I'm going to make you pay for that Dobe." Naru opened her mouth to respond but had to rethink that action when a bored Mizuki shouted "Begin!" As soon as the go ahead left Mizuki's mouth Sasuke launched himself at Naru and threw a left hook at her head.

Bright blue eyes opened almost impossibly wide as the blonde ducked. Sasuke's knuckles only grazed the tips of Naru's golden hair but he didn't let that deter him as jumped and threw a knee into the girl's face. The class let out a collective gasp when Naru's head snapped back, blood flying from her broken nose. Iruka moved forward to intervene as the fight was clearly getting out of hand. However the instructor was stopped in his tracks by the absurdity of what happened next.

Naru was not going to be deterred by the violence of the Uchiha's attack. Her hand darted up and grabbed a hold of Sasuke's ankle. With a surprising amount of force she yanked the airborne boy down. Sasuke's legs buckled when his feet hit the ground and he ended up kneeling in front of Naru. He had placed his palms to the ground in order to push himself up when Naru grabbed a gold of his shirt and yanked him forward. The last thing the Uchiha remembered seeing were a pair of vibrant blue eyes.

Iruka like the rest of the class had to shut his eyes and cringe at the sound that emanated from the two students when Naru head butted Sasuke. "God damn it! Mizuki get over here and help me" shouted Iruka as he rushed over to Naru and Sasuke. Mizuki broke out of his stupor and went over to Sasuke while Iruka tended to Naru. Iruka kneeled beside Naru and placed his pointer and index fingers against the girls pale neck to check for a pulse. Despite all of his time as a shinobi Iruka still jumped back when Naru rose with a shout "Hah! Who's the dead last now Jack ass?"

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><p>Iruka stared at the slightly swaying blonde in shock "Naru… How in the world are you still able to get up after that?" Naru blinked, trying to clear the spots from her vision. She was able to get her bearings after a few moments at which point she responded to her instructor "Because I am so very awesome Iruka-sensei" While Iruka was busy trying to figure out how Naru was able to stand let alone talk Mizuki was busy trying to revive Sasuke.<p>

Iruka once again kneeled though this time he was facing Naru. Due to her short stature his eyes were about even with her own. He ran his gaze from the top of her head to the tip of her chin. "That bump on your head doesn't look too bad but your nose is broken and I'll need to correct its' position or it will heal wrong" Iruka said with some concern. Naru looked slightly worried but gave a small nod "its okay Iruka-sensei I trust you."

Iruka gave the brave girl a small smile as he reached up with both hands placing each one on one side if her nose "You really kicked some ass didn't you." Naru got an excited look on her face and was about to utter a response when Iruka used her distraction to shift his hands to the side. The young blonde let out a shriek when Iruka shifted her broken nose into the correct position. She fell back and landed on her ass, her hands flying up to cover her face protectively. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she glared sharply at Iruka.

By the time Iruka had gotten up and dusted off his knees Mizuki had a rather dizzy Sasuke on his feet. Once Iruka had determined that his two students were mostly unharmed he allowed his anger to finally show. "You idiots this was supposed to be a spar!" he yelled. "You were supposed to show that you were able to properly use the academy taught taijutsu form. But no… you had to go ahead and beat the hell out of each other."

The rest of the class having been silent this whole time watched on in awe as Iruka tore into their fellow classmates. "Sasuke you went too far and the only reason I am not failing you right now is because of that punch she threw before the match even begun" Iruka finished and walked over to his fellow instructor before conferring with him in a whispers.

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><p>The two instructors seemed to argue for a moment before Mizuki broke away with a sigh "Fine! Uchiha-kun you showed good form, you pass." Mizuki lips twitched and he let out a grumble before continuing "Uzumaki-kun your form wasn't great but it wasn't exactly bad either. Also you managed to knock Uchiha-kun out so… you pass."<p>

Naru let out a whoop of joy her broken nose all but forgotten. The girl made for a ghastly sight with her face and shirt covered in blood. That didn't deter her from celebrating though. "Yes I did it I passed" the blonde said in happiness. Iruka snorted "Don't get ahead of yourself Naru. You still have one more test to pass if you want to become a Genin." Naru gave him a brilliant smile before running off towards the door that lead back inside shouting all the way "Than what are you waiting for let's go!"

Iruka smacked his forehead and grumbled "She better pass this time. One more year with that girl and one of us will be dead." The annoyed instructor glanced over to the rest of the class "Well what the hell are you all waiting for? Get back inside!" The class responded with a jolt and collectively dashed towards the classroom to escape their instructor's wrath.

Iruka followed mumbling to himself about how much he hated blondes. He had to turn his head though to his fellow instructor when he felt Mizuki's hand pat his back. "And we thought that becoming teachers would be much safer than taking standard missions. I really am starting to believe that the Uzumaki girl will be the death of you" Mizuki said cheerfully. Iruka just glared at him for a moment before heading into the classroom however he did leave Mizuki with a parting word.

"Screw you!"

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed!<strong>


	3. Episode 3: So It Ends! Wait? WHAT?

**Count On It**

**Episode 3: "So It Ends!... Wait? WHAT?"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this story.**

**A/N: Unfortunately my editor has moved and will be unable to continue to edit this story. Since you all have waited long enough I give you chapters 2 and 3 in its raw form. When I can grab a new editor I will go back and fix up the chapters. So for now enjoy.**

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><p>Iruka was treated to a disturbing sight when he walked into the classroom. Uzumaki Naru was sitting in her seat but her classmates were pressed against the walls in an attempt to stay as far away from the girl as possible. "What the hell is going on here?" Iruka shouted. Ino looked at her instructor as if he were mentally challenged "She's covered in blood and none of us wants to catch her stupidity. It's probably contagious."<p>

"Hey I'm not contagious!" shouted the other blonde. Iruka walked over to the blackboard and proceeded to bang his head against it over and over again. Mizuki alarmed at Iruka's attempt to harm himself rushed over and forcefully pulled him away from the blackboard "Calm down Iruka it's almost over. There's just one test left." Mizuki turned to Naru "Uzumaki-kun please go and get yourself cleaned up before we begin the next test."

Naru looked at him sadly "But Sensei I can't this is the only shirt I have." Iruka broke out of his stupor a frown forming on his face as he walked over to Naru. The scarred instructor leaned down and spoke to the young girl in a whisper. Naru responded with a shake of her head and Iruka let out a sigh before motioning for the girl to follow him as he walked out of the classroom. Naru stood and followed Iruka out of the classroom. At the same time Mizuki shouted at the class "Well what the hell are you waiting for get to your seats!" The class rushed to comply. Mizuki sat in his chair a smile on his face. "_Finally I get to be the one in charge" _He thought.

Iruka led his student to the instructors' office and had her wait outside while he went in. He returned a few minutes later with a bundle of clothes under one arm. The instructor once again motioned for the girl to follow him. Eventually the pair ended up in front of the girls' locker rooms. Iruka pushed open the door and allowed Naru to enter before following her through. He went over to a nearby bench and placed the clothes down.

"Alright Naru these clothes belong to Saru-sensei. They will be a bit loose but she isn't much taller than you so it shouldn't be too bad" Iruka said. Naru nodded with a smile "Thank you Iruka-sensei!" Iruka snorted "Don't thank me. Thank Saru-sensei she's the one lending you her clothes. Now get yourself cleaned up and…" Before Iruka could finish his sentence Naru had removed her shirt. The instructor quickly shut his eyes and turned around "Damn it Naru! Don't you have any shame?" The half nude blonde's thumbs were hooked in the waistband of her skirt when Iruka asked his question "What's shame Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka sighed "Naru you shouldn't just take your clothes off in front of other people." Naru's head cocked to the side "But Sensei I change in front of the other girls nearly every day." Iruka began to rub his temples once again "Yes Naru but that's different. The other girls are just that, girls. They are the same as you." Naru just shrugged "It's okay Iruka-sensei I trust you."

"Just hurry you're holding up the rest of the class" he said as he left the locker room. As soon as the door shut Iruka moved over to the wall on his left and leaned his back against it. He stood there in silence for a moment. All of a sudden he slammed a closed fist against the wall behind him and said quietly "Damnit!"

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><p>Iruka liked to see himself as a fair and impartial instructor however he had to admit that he had a soft spot for Naru. Like himself the girl was an orphan and she also acted out to gain attention the way he did when he was younger. What was causing Iruka's distress though was not the girl's obnoxious behavior or the fact that she trusted him. In fact he was glad that she trusted him enough to put herself in a vulnerable position before him.<p>

"She's 12 it's not like she has anything to hide anyways" he said to himself with a snort. What truly bothered Iruka was what he saw when Naru had removed her shirt. "Ribs, I could see her ribs" Iruka mumbled quietly. Iruka knew that Naru had a hard time shopping for anything. Almost every merchant and store in Konoha would either refuse to do business with her or they would overcharge on everything.

Iruka knew that Naru got most of her meals from a ramen stand and while that may be enough to keep her hunger at bay it wasn't healthy. "I need to talk with the Hokage. If this keeps up the girl will die from Malnutrition" Iruka said sadly. Iruka was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked over to see what had grabbed onto his sleeve and saw the smiling face of Uzumaki Naru.

Naru looked even smaller than usual in the oversized clothing. The sleeves of the black sweater went down past her wrists nearly covering her hands completely and the bottom of the shirt went almost to her knees. The accompanying skirt ended a few inches above her ankles. Iruka's earlier displeasure disappeared at the sight of his favorite student "Ready to head back?"

Naru nodded quickly and dashed off towards the classroom. Iruka let out a sigh of amusement and followed after her. When Iruka finally reached the classroom Naru was already in her seat and the rest of the classroom was once again staring at her. Iruka's moment of peace was broken as he once again shouted at his class "Now what's the problem?" The ever outgoing Kiba gave his teacher a funny look "Her stupidity must have rubbed off on you Sensei." Iruka was about to blow a gasket when he was interrupted by Sasuke "What the mutt is trying to say is that we are all amazed that the blonde idiot is actually clean for once."

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><p>Iruka stared at them with a look of disbelief. "You're not ready" He said quietly. He clenched his fist and spoke to them with barely restrained anger "Look at yourselves. You mock and taunt Naru. You insult and belittle her. For what? You all want to be shinobi and yet you have missed the single most important lesson I have tried to teach you." Despite the fact that he was furious at them the class was listening to his words intently.<p>

"Loyalty!" he shouted.

"Loyalty to your village, loyalty to your comrades, and loyalty to yourself."

Iruka had the entire class captivated. "How can you say you are loyal to your village when you would shun one of her own?" Iruka asked as he slowly paced in front of the class. "And say you do all pass today. Being loyal to your comrades means all of them not just the ones you like" he continued passionately. "Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Kiba, Sara, Kamiko, Toji, and Sonosuke if I could I would fail every single one of you." Sakura looked at him in surprise "But why?"

Iruka looked at her disappointment settling across his face "Because you're not ready. You can't be a shinobi of the leaf and be so selfish. Konoha shinobi above all else cherish their comrades." Iruka took a deep breath and let out a sigh "As an instructor I cannot show favoritism and while your treatment of Naru disgusts me I cannot fail you because of it. I will tell you this though and maybe you can understand what I am trying to say. Those who abandon their mission are trash but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash." The saddened instructor turned from the class and walked to his desk before taking a seat. He turned his head to his fellow instructor who had a look of awe on his face "Mizuki please administer the final part of the exam."

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><p>Mizuki nodded and took Iruka's place in front of the class "Alright everyone when I call your name please come forward. I will ask you to perform the three academy taught jutsu these being kawarimi, henge, and bunshin. If you can successfully complete these three jutsu than you will have passed and shall immediately receive your Hitai-ate." Mizuki held up his clipboard and read off the first name "Aburame Shino"<p>

Iruka sat in his chair watching each of his students' performance his mind twisted with both anger and disappointment. It wasn't until Naru's turn came up that he truly focused. Naru stood before Mizuki a wide grin plastered across her face. Mizuki couldn't help but smile at his student's enthusiasm "Alright Uzumaki-kun you can do the jutsu in any order you like. You may begin whenever you're ready."

Naru nodded and brought her hands together. She channeled the necessary chakra through her body and shouted out "Henge!" With a poof of smoke Naru was transformed into a perfect duplicate of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. She held the transformation long enough for Mizuki to check for flaws. When he saw none he gave the girl a nod. Another poof of smoke followed the release of the jutsu.

Naru also managed to perform the kawarimi without difficulty. Mizuki's smile widened a bit "Okay Uzumaki-kun just one more to go!" Naru gulped and nodded nervously suddenly feeling nauseous. Bunshin was by far her worst jutsu. She was putting all of her focus into controlling her chakra and was about to perform the technique when a hand on her shoulder distracted her. Mizuki squeezed her shoulder gently and leaned down to whisper in her ear "Make as many as you can. Don't try and hold back Naru. We ask for two that doesn't mean you can't make more."

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><p>With those parting words Mizuki gave her shoulder one last squeeze before pulling back "Go ahead." Naru gave him a nod and once again put her hands together to focus her chakra except this time instead of trying to compress her chakra she let it flow freely. The classroom let out a collective gasp when Naru was encased in a swirling vortex of blue light.<p>

Only a couple of students recognized this light to be chakra in its purest form. The class as well as the instructors were shocked stupid when from this swirling vortex came a shout "Bunshin no justu." All of a sudden the room was filled with many copies of Naru. Mizuki took a step back in surprise. His surprise turned into outright shock when he bumped into the clone of Naru behind him. The Naru clone helped steady him and apologized for being in the way.

Mizuki choked on air for a second. He was only able to utter two words "Kage Bunshin!"

At the same time that Mizuki was stunned into silence Iruka had shot to his feet a look of panic on his face rather than surprise "Naru dispel those clones immediately!" he shouted. Naru jumped at her instructor's shout and all at once her clones disappeared in a puff of smoke, faint pops sounding out as each one was dispelled. "Mizuki finish up with Ino please" requested Iruka.

As soon as Iruka received acknowledgement from Mizuki he grabbed Naru by the arm and dragged her out of the classroom. "Naru how do you know that technique?" Iruka asked as calmly as possible. Naru looked at him in confusion "You taught me bunshin no justu Iruka-sensei. Remember?" Iruka searched her face for any sign that she was lying but all he found were signs of confusion. He remembered that Mizuki had whispered something to the girl right before she performed the technique.

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><p>"Naru I need to know what Mizuki-sensei said to you right before you made your clones" Iruka said softly. Naru bit her lip gently for a second before answering "He told me not to hold back so I didn't!" Iruka stepped back and leaned against the wall before letting out a chuckle. Naru pouted and kicked Iruka's foot "Stop laughing at me!"<p>

Iruka reached forward and ruffled the girl's close cropped hair "You have no idea what you have done Naru and that is why I am laughing." Naru looked at him once again confused "What do you mean Iruka-sensei?" Iruka let out a sigh and pulled his hand back "What you performed today was not the standard bunshin. That technique is what we call kage bunshin and it is a forbidden technique in this village. Only Jonin are capable of performing it and it is something that is passed on from master to apprentice. That you, an academy student was able to perform it is amazing but the fact that you used that technique not even knowing it exists is so far beyond incredible that I am nearly left speechless."

Iruka was going to continue with his little lecture when he heard the young girl sniffle. He looked down at Naru and the tears that were falling down her cheeks "Naru what's wrong, why are you crying?" Naru let out another sniffle and answered her teacher with a quavering voice "I couldn't do it. I couldn't perform the bunshin. I'll never be a shinobi!" By the time Naru was finished making her statement she was sobbing.

Iruka frowned at his student's sadness. "Naru close your eyes" he said softly. Naru let out a small hiccup and nodded while she closed her eyes. Iruka reached up behind his head and untied his Hitai-ate. Bringing it down he placed it against Naru's forehead and swiftly tied it on "Now open your eyes." Naru opened her eyes and looked at her teacher a small hand going up to trace the leaf symbol on the Hitai-ate. "Congratulations Naru you pass" the proud instructor said gently.

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><p>Naru gulped and shivered her eyes going wide. Iruka thought something was wrong and was going to ask if she was okay when the blonde launched herself at him knocking them both back against the wall. Naru was hugging Iruka with all her might "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said happily. Iruka smiled and decided to return the girl's hug for once his arms wrapping around her small frame. "You're welcome" he whispered softly in her ear.<p>

Their shared joy was interrupted all too soon though as Mizuki poked his head outside of the classroom. "Yamanaka-kun has passed and we're all waiting on you so you might want to hurry up" the silver haired instructor said jovially. Before Mizuki left he had to take at least one shot at the duo "Oh and next time you might want to get a room." With that being said Mizuki pulled his head back and shut the door. However he could still hear the combined shout of

"Screw you!"

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed! Please Review!<strong>


	4. Episode 4: I Love You

**Count On It**

**Episode 4: "I love You"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this story.**

**A/N: Fair warning, there is some disturbing imagery ahead but nothing graphic. If it offends you I apologize but it is integral to the story. All I ask is that if you read chapter 4 please continue on to 5 they are meant to be read together.**

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><p>Naru had a great big smile on her face as she walked into the classroom and over to her seat. She even smiled at Sasuke as she took her seat beside him. "Hiya Sasuke!" she said cheerfully. Sasuke responded with a "Hn…" Naru leaned back and let out a sigh. "Always the talkative one aren't you Sasuke" the blonde said in annoyance. Sasuke just gave her a blank look. Naru was about to say something to Sasuke but she was distracted by the return of Iruka-sensei.<p>

Much like his excitable student Iruka entered his classroom with a smile. "I want to congratulate all of you for passing. You have shown that you have the capability to be a Genin of the Leaf." Mizuki got up from his seat and walked over to his fellow instructor a smile on his face as well "Now that you have passed you will be placed in squads of three with a Jonin instructor. These assignments will be given to you tomorrow. Until then you are free to do as you like." Iruka gazed fondly at his class "Alright graduates meet back here tomorrow at noon to receive your team assignments. Class dismissed!"

The 15 newly graduated Genin stood up as one and bowed to their two instructors. Iruka and Mizuki returned the bow and had to suppress their laughter when the class let out a collective shout of joy and began to dash out of the classroom. Naru followed her fellow graduates outside where the parents were waiting to congratulate their children.

A frown adorned the newly minted Genin's face as she passed the joyful families. She could see and feel the dirty looks she was receiving from the adults who would pull their children closer to themselves as she passed. Once Naru had left the gates of the academy she leapt to the nearest rooftop and headed towards home.

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><p>A short while later Naru landed on the road in front of her house. She walked up the steps to the top floor where her apartment was and reached into her pocket. Grabbing her keys she unlocked the door and stepped inside. As soon as she was in her own home and the door was closed her frown was replaced by a happy grin. The young blonde removed her sandals and placed them besides her various other footwear by the door.<p>

Naru walked through the small hallway to her bedroom and flopped down on her bed. "I did it. I passed" she said happily. Naru stood back up and walked over to her mirror. She stared at her reflection trying to burn the image of the hitai-ate on her forehead into her memory. A few minutes passed before she let out a contented sigh and reached up to untie the hitai-ate.

Naru placed her hitai-ate on her dresser and stared at it fondly "Thank you Iruka-sensei." Naru unsnapped the button on her skirt and pulled down the zipper as she walked back over to her bed. She pulled off her shirt as the skirt slipped off her slim hips and pooled at her feet. Naru took the two pieces of clothing and folded them before placing them on a chair beside her bed. The young girl laid down on her bed her head nestling against the pillow. She reached over and shut the blinds before covering herself with a thin blanket. Naru let out a yawn and a minute later was soundly asleep.

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><p>Darkness surrounded her, darkness and the loud roar of churning water. The child could not see but she could hear. She followed the sound looking for the source. It seemed like she was walking forever before she saw a light in the distance. The girl bolted towards the light hoping to escape the suffocating darkness. The closer she got to the light the louder the roar became.<p>

Finally the girl reached the source of both the light and noise. Her eyes opened wide and she let out a gasp as she gazed at the swirling vortex of blue light. The girl had never seen anything so beautiful in all her life even if she didn't know what it was she was looking at. While trying to figure out what the vortex was a word popped into her mind. "Whirlpool" she whispered.

The girl may not have known what a whirlpool was but she did know that whatever this was it wasn't made of water. "Its chakra" the child said to herself. The girl's awe soon turned to fright though as the blue light began to change. It started at the center. A sickening flow of vile crimson energy was enveloping the pure blue chakra. The girl was frozen in fear until she realized that the red chakra was overflowing and heading towards her. She let out a whimper and spun around. The girl ran as fast as she could away from the now pulsing red light. She let out a yelp as she stumbled and fell to the ground. The girl turned around and was blinded, the roar of some ancient beast filling her ears.

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><p>Naru sat up with a gasp her eyes wide open and her skin slick with sweat. She shuffled to the edge of her bed and tried to get up but became tangled up in her blanket. The blonde yelped as she fell off the bed. She just laid there trying to regain her breath and calm her racing heart. Naru having finally been able to calm down began to untangle herself from her blanket.<p>

Once she was free she moved to get up when her gaze fell upon a pair of sandaled feet. Naru's eyes widened as she scrambled back until she hit the edge of the bed. Her arm went under the bed and came back out with a kunai clasped in her delicate hand. All Naru could see of the figure was its' silhouette due to the darkness that filled the room. "Who are you? Go away!" She shouted.

The figure stepped closer to the girl and kneeled down so it's eyes were level with the frightened girl's. "It's alright Uzumaki-kun. It's just me" the figure said softly. Naru was once again startled when the figure got close enough for her to make out "Mizuki-sensei! What are you doing here?"

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><p>Mizuki let out a small laugh and reached out placing his hand atop Naru's head. The grey haired instructor lightly stroked her sweat dampened hair "Sorry if I frightened you Uzumaki-kun. That wasn't my intention." Naru pouted, her face turning a rosy shade of red "I wasn't scared!" Mizuki's hand moved down cupping the girl's cheek "I'm sure you weren't."<p>

Naru not being used to physical contact couldn't help but lean into her instructor's touch. Mizuki responded by gently stroking the whisker like marks with his thumb "I have to go away for a while Uzumaki-kun but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye." Naru's blush darkened at her instructor's actions and the realization that the only thing she is wearing is her underwear. "But why are you leaving?" the young shinobi asked a confused look settling across her face.

Mizuki let out a sigh and pulled his hand back "Because I borrowed something and I need some time before I can return it." Naru's head tilted to the side in confusion "But if you borrowed it why would you need to leave to use it?" Mizuki looked a bit sheepish at that "Well they don't know that I borrowed it just yet." "You stole it!" Naru said accusingly.

Mizuki let out a chuckle and ruffled the blonde's hair "Yeah I guess that's what I did." Naru frowned at him "Stealing is wrong. You should return what you took and apologize." The grey haired man shook his head "Unfortunately that isn't an option at this point."

"I don't understand" said the girl in her confusion.

Mizuki gave her a sad smile "There are going to be a few things that you won't quite understand by the end of tonight but I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me." Naru gave him a worried look "What do you mean Sensei?" Mizuki reached up and unzipped his flak jacket "Well you see it began a little over 12 years ago when the Yondaime Hokage supposedly killed the Kyuubi."

Naru's blue eyes were filled with confusion as Mizuki began to crawl towards her. "You see what your generation believes is wrong. The Yondaime could not kill something as powerful as the Kyuubi" Mizuki said. A feeling of dread formed in the pit of Naru's stomach. "If you remember your lessons than you know that the Yondaime was a master at sealing and so he sealed the Kyuubi into a newborn child" Mizuki continued his story while shedding his flak jacket as well as his shirt.

Mizuki leaned over the shaking girl and grabbed the hand that held the kunai. He slowly pried her fingers from around the weapon and took a hold of it before tossing it away. Mizuki grabbed a hold of Naru's wrists and forced the girl onto her back "You see Naru you are the Kyuubi and that is why the village hates you, but I'm not like them. In fact it's quite the opposite. You see I love you Naru" The last thing Naru remembered was the nauseous feeling she got when Mizuki pressed his lips against hers and shoved his tongue in her mouth.

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><p>Iruka sat at his desk, his eyes wandering over to the clock at the back of the room. It was nearly noon and all but one of the graduates were gathered for what might be their last time in this classroom. Iruka wasn't too worried however. Naru had been late before and probably would be late again. It was nothing new for the annoying blonde.<p>

There were only 30 seconds till noon when Naru walked through the door. "Wow you just made it Naru" said Iruka with a smile. Naru made her way over to her usual seat beside Sasuke and sat down slowly "S…sorry S…Sensei." Iruka didn't notice Naru's wince of pain as she sat but Sasuke did. He was going to question the blonde about it but was interrupted by Iruka.

"Unfortunately I have some bad news" Iruka said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "It seems that last night while we all slept Mizuki broke into the Hokage's office and stole the forbidden scroll." The class erupted into a loud mix of questions and statements. Iruka allowed them to continue for a minute before asking them for quiet. In all of the confusion not one caught the tortured look on Naru's face, no one except Sasuke who was becoming worried about the blonde beside him.

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><p>Once the class had mostly quieted down Sakura jumped in to ask the one question that was bothering her most "Sensei, What happened to Mizuki-sensei?" Iruka sighed sadly "Not only was Mizuki caught on camera stealing the scroll but he had it on him when he was captured by ANBU. Mizuki was charged with treason and was executed for his crimes early this morning." Gasps of shock were heard throughout the classroom but no more questions were asked.<p>

Uchiha Sasuke didn't care much for this world or the people in it. His sole focus for the last few years has been the eradication of one man. For this goal to be achieved he has sacrificed every friend he once had to turn his heart to ice. In all of that time there has only been one person that has been able to get under his skin. That person was currently sitting beside him. A frustratingly annoying and hyperactive blonde that somehow managed to antagonize him with every word she spoke.

The raven haired boy didn't like change. So when their teacher drops a bombshell on them like that and Naru's only reaction is to pale and look as if she is going to faint the last Uchiha actually becomes worried. "Hey what's wrong with you today dead last" Sasuke said to her quietly. Naru gulps and takes a few deep breaths before turning slightly towards him "N…Nothing, I'm f…fine S…S…Sasuke." Sasuke almost believed her except he saw the pain in her bright blue eyes. He would have questioned her further but he was thwarted by Iruka once again.

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><p>"Alright enough about Mizuki" Iruka said with finality. "You're all here today to receive your team assignments so let's begin. Teams one through four are still active so we'll begin with team five" Iruka said as he grabbed his clipboard from the table. "Team five will consist of Setsu Kamiko, Bokuto Sara, and Satoru Sanosuke. You will be lead by Jonin Hitokiri Mana. Team six is also on active duty so team seven will consist of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naru. Team seven will be lead by Jonin Hatake Kakashi."<p>

Sasuke didn't pay attention to the rest of the team assignments. He was too busy contemplating his own teammates to care. Naru he didn't mind too much. Sure the girl was annoying but she was a capable fighter and if he was being honest with himself she was rather easy on the eyes. The other female teammate of his was a different story. Haruno Sakura was the bane of his existence. She was just as loud and obnoxious as Naru but she had none of her redeeming qualities.

Sasuke had plenty of issues with Haruno but the most glaring fault was her fan girl attitude. No matter how many times he ignored her or told her to go away she insisted on following him around and acting as if he belonged to her.

Sasuke was broken out of his musing when he felt a poke on his shoulder. The young Uchiha turned his head to face his blonde teammate "Yeah, what is it?" Naru bit her lip gently for a moment before speaking up "I…Iruka-s…s…sensei h…has d…dismissed us for l…lunch. W…we n…need to be b…b…back in an h…hou…" The blonde shut here eyes tightly and tried to concentrate. "In an hour" Sasuke interrupted. Naru nodded quickly and opened her eyes.

Sasuke would normally ignore his teammates but for some reason the weird way that Naru was acting was stirring up these protective instincts within him. "Come on dead last let's go up to the roof. We can eat our lunch there and wait for Hatake-sensei" Sasuke said gently. Naru gave him a worried look but nodded and stood up before heading towards the door. Sasuke followed her. Both the blonde and raven haired Genin ignored the yells coming from Sakura as she ran after them to catch up.

"Hey! Sasuke-kun wait for me!"

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><p><strong>Once again thank you for reading and please review!<strong>


	5. Episode 5: Hospital

**Count On It**

**Episode 5: "Hospital"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this story.**

**A/N: If you haven't given up on me after chapter 4 than I thank you. While there will be dark moments like that from time to time there will still be the usual lightheartedness as well.**

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><p>The academy did not have a traditional cafeteria so the rooftop was littered with tables and chairs where the students could eat their meals. It was at one of these tables that Naru and Sasuke took a seat. Once again Sasuke noticed Naru wince as she sat down. "What happened to you dead last?" Sasuke asked. Naru wrapped her arms around her stomach and ignored his question. Before Sasuke could further interrogate his teammate Sakura had caught up with them.<p>

"What's going on?" asked the pink haired girl. Sasuke shook his head "I have no idea but every time she tries to sit she winces like she's in pain." Sakura tilted her head for a moment in contemplation before walking over to the pair. "Sasuke-kun please go away for a moment" Sakura requested. "Why the hell should I" responded Sasuke. Sakura for the first time in her life gave her crush a disapproving look "Because I'm going to ask Naru a personal question… about girl stuff."

Sasuke gulped, got up quickly, and moved to another table. Sakura took a seat beside Naru and leaned close to whisper in her ear. Sasuke watched them from a distance as Sakura asked her questions and Naru responded with a nod or shake of her head. The raven haired boy became worried when he saw a frown settle upon Sakura's face.

"Come with me Naru" said Sakura. Taking her hand Sakura lead her blonde teammate back into the school. Sasuke waited on the roof for a total of five minutes when the girls returned. Sakura came back with a smile on her face while Naru's face was colored a bright red. "Don't worry Naru it happens to every girl eventually" Sakura explained cheerfully. "What happens?" asked a clueless Sasuke.

"Girl problems" said Sakura. Sasuke had a look of horror on his face. "I didn't need to know that" he screeched. "Well you shouldn't have asked" said Sakura plainly. In his disgust Sasuke didn't notice the look of shame and fright on Naru's face. However the grey haired Jonin did.

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><p>Hatake Kakashi had been observing his new little Genin since they arrived on the roof. His first thought was that they were adorable. His second thought however was quite different "<em>there's something very wrong with Naru and it's not as simple as a girl having her first period."<em>

It was with this thought that Kakashi decided to approach his new team earlier than he originally planned. "Team seven I am Hatake Kakashi your Jonin instructor" the grey haired man said loudly. The three young Genin were startled by the sudden appearance of Kakashi. "Ahh! Don't scare us like that!" Sakura yelped. Sasuke was a little more impressed "So this is a Jonin."

However Sakura and Sasuke's reactions paled in comparison to Naru's. As soon as the young blonde caught sight of her grey haired, dark eyed instructor she fainted. Kakashi's one visible eye widened in alarm. He rushed over to his blonde student and picked her up. "Naru wake up" said the Jonin as he cradled her frail body. Kakashi shook her urgently as the rest of Team Seven looked on "Naru if you can hear me open your eyes."

When Kakashi received no response from the young girl he reached up and pulled down the mask that covered most of his face. He leaned down and placed his bare cheek above the girl's mouth and nose and let out a sigh of relief when he felt the soft warmth of her breath. "She's still breathing" he said to his other two students.

Sakura walked over the two with a worried look adorning her face "What's wrong with her Sensei? Why won't she wake up?" Kakashi gave a small shake of his head "I don't know Sakura. However I'm going to take her to the hospital." Before either Sakura or Sasuke could respond Kakashi had disappeared in a swirl of leaves along with their ill teammate. Sakura turned to her remaining teammate to ask him what they should do but Sasuke had already taken off in the direction of the hospital.

"Sasuke-kun wait for me!"

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><p>Darkness was all around. It surrounded and consumed the young girl who sat there shivering on the cold hard ground. The girl had lost nearly all hope of ever finding her way out of this horrible place when all of a sudden there was a burst of light in the distance. The girl winced as the light burned her sensitive eyes. This however did not stop her from getting to her feet and heading over to the source of the light.<p>

The girl's eyes widened when she finally reached the source and found a spinning whirlpool of blue energy. The girl's wonder changed to horror though as the blue energy turned a deep crimson. She turned to run but something grabbed her small hand and held her tight. The girl turned to see what had grabbed her and saw a man. He was tall and lean with light grey hair that went down to his shoulders. The man gave her a smile and pulled her close. "Don't be afraid. I love you" the man said.

The girl shivered as the ghost of a memory passed through her mind. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to grab a hold of the memory but it slipped away as if it were nothing more than smoke. She opened her eyes to once again look at the man and let out a shriek when she saw that his eyes had turned the color of blood. The man gave her a grin showing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. The girl turned to try and run away gain but was yanked back instead. She tried to utter a scream as she fell into the vortex of red light but no sound came forth as she was consumed.

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><p>"Mizuki-sensei" mumbled Naru as she slowly regained consciousness. "Not quite" said a smooth voice that Naru didn't recognize. Naru tried to reach up to rub at her eyes but a gloved hand took a hold of her wrist. "Careful Naru you have an IV in your hand and you might pull it out" said the voice. Naru frowned took a look at her hand, noticing the thin rubber tube that ran from her hand to a bag held above her on a metal pole.<p>

"Where am I? Who are you?" asked the confused blonde. "That's our Jonin instructor and you're in the hospital Dobe" said a more familiar voice. Naru turned her head to the source of the new voice and gave Sasuke a dirty look "Don't call me Dobe, Teme" she responded. "Well if the shoe fits" replied Sasuke. Kakashi made a placating gesture "Now, now children no fighting in the hospital."

Naru and Sasuke both turned to him and gave him a dirty look. "Don't call us children" they said in unison. Sakura who sat beside Sasuke let out a snort. The two Genin turned their gaze on their pink haired teammate but stayed silent. Sakura would have responded had the doctor not walked into the room at that moment.

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><p>"Wow what a tense atmosphere" said the doctor jovially. The doctor was a thin woman of average height. She wore her dark brown hair in a bun and had a small pair of glasses perched on her nose. "So I see that our young patient is awake" said the doctor as she walked over to Naru. The doctor gave the diminutive blonde a smile "I'm Dr. Sawase. It's a pleasure to meet you Naru." Naru gently shook the hand that the doctor offered to her "Nice to meet you too Dr. Sawase."<p>

"Although I'm sure you would have liked for us to have met under better circumstances huh?" asked the woman. Naru gave her a nod and asked "What happened to me I can't remember?" The doctor walked over the end of the bed and took the clipboard that held the girl's charts "Well Naru from what we were told you fainted while on the roof of the academy. You were brought here in an unconscious state and we were unable to revive you."

"But why would I pass out? That's never happened to me before" responded Naru. The doctor flipped the page on the clipboard and continued to explain "Yes, well after doing some tests we determined that you were suffering from iron deficiency anemia." The blonde looked puzzled "What's that?" Doctor Sawase gave the girl a smile "Oh it isn't something too serious. Iron deficiency anemia is caused by a lack of iron in your system. This keeps your bone marrow for producing enough red blood cells and hemoglobin which can keep your organs from getting the proper amount of oxygen."

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><p>Naru gave the doctor a puzzled look "but why would it affect me like that all of a sudden and how did I get it in the first place?" The doctor gave the blonde a soft pat on the head "Well it's actually most common in women who are menstruating or pregnant. After examining you I've determined that your anemia is caused by malnutrition. Too be quite frank I'm amazed that you aren't dead."<p>

Everyone else in the room gave the doctor a startled look and Naru let out a frightened yelp. "What do you mean you're surprised I'm not dead!" yelled the blonde. Doctor Sawase frowned "Simply put Naru you're not eating enough. Your body is severely lacking in essential nutrients. I can only assume that it is your training as a ninja that has kept your body from shutting down entirely."

The doctor took a seat at Naru's bedside. "You were actually quite fortunate. Thanks to the onset of menstruation this problem was brought to a head. Had you been out in the field and received a wound that would cause you to lose a significant amount of blood you might not have made it." The young blonde shivered at the thought that her life could have ended so easily.

Doctor Sawase gave her a smile "You should be just fine though. We gave you a blood transfusion and intravenous fluids. We'll also be sending you home with a prescription for iron pills. However this is just a temporary measure Naru. You need to start eating healthier or you'll continue to suffer from malnutrition." Naru looked down and gave a small nod her cheeks burning.

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><p>The doctor stood up and frowned before speaking her tone becoming serious "As for the time being Naru I must unfortunately tell you that you are currently removed from active duty." Naru gave the doctor a shocked look "But…but why? I just graduated!" Sawase shook her head "And you're also quite ill and obviously not capable of performing your duties as a shinobi."<p>

The rest of Team Seven excluding Kakashi were also giving the doctor equally shocked looks. "You will be reevaluated in one month's time. However you may request a hearing earlier than that but please be aware that if you fail that evaluation than the month long wait will restart from that date and you will not have another chance to request an early hearing" the doctor continued. Sawase sighed "I know it isn't what you want to hear Naru but the Leaf does not send shinobi on missions if they are sick and you child are most certainly sick."

Naru bit her lip and gave the doctor a nod "I understand. Does this mean that I will have to be put on a new team?" Kakashi gave a shake of his head and was going to speak when he was interrupted by a rather loud Sakura "No of course you won't Naru. We aren't going to abandon you and if they think that they can make us than they can go to hell!" Sasuke nodded his head in agreement "having to get used to a new teammate would be bothersome."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise before it seemed to turn up in some weird form of eye smile "They are correct Naru Team Seven won't abandon you simply because you are ill." Naru gave them all a happy grin. "Thank you!" she said cheerfully. Doctor Sawase stood and clapped twice "Alright will everyone please leave the room so I can get Naru off of these monitors and get her dressed." The three other shinobi gave the doctor a nod and left the room.

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><p>Naru watched as the doctor went about removing the IV line and the electrodes from her skin. The young girl shut her eyes her teeth digging gently into her lip. She was nervous but she knew she might not get another chance like this. "Doctor Sawase can I ask you a question?" she asked quietly. The pleasant doctor stopped what she was doing and gave her a smile "Sure go right ahead Naru."<p>

Naru gulped and barreled through her nervousness "Can a girl get pregnant if she has sex before her first period?" Doctor Sawase gave the girl a startled look "Well yes she can but surely that isn't something you need to worry about Naru you're only 12" Naru looked away her face flushed "is there a way to keep yourself from getting pregnant after… you know… it happens?"

The doctor gave the girl a thoughtful look "There is a medication that we use as an emergency contraceptive. Why do you ask?" The blonde turned to the doctor with a sad look on her face "Because I need some." Sawase once again sat beside the girl. "When?" She asked plainly. "Last night" Naru responded. Doctor Sawase reached out and touched the girl's hand "I can get you the medicine Naru but because of your age I must ask. Was it consensual?" The blonde looked startled for a moment before responding "Yes of course… he didn't…"

The doctor didn't look too convinced. "Naru if you were hurt you can tell me" she said gently. The blonde girl looked her doctor in the eye "I let him. He didn't force me. If he tried I would have kicked his ass." Sawase sighed and gave the girl a nod "Okay than I'll get you a dose however you need to be more careful in the future. The emergency contraceptive isn't 100% effective and it doesn't protect from disease." Naru gave the doctor a smile "Thank you."

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><p>When Naru walked out of the hospital the rest of Team Seven was waiting for her. "Geeze Naru what took you so long?" Complained Sakura. Naru shrugged "I don't know the doctor just wanted to be thorough I guess." There was no way in hell Naru was going to tell them about the lecture she received on the consequences of unprotected sex and sexually transmitted infections.<p>

Kakashi looked at his team fondly "How about we all go out for lunch my treat to celebrate our formation as a team?" Naru looked at him excitedly "Can we get ramen?" Naru blinked when they all gave her a blank look. "What?" She asked self consciously. "Did you listen to anything the doctor said you blonde idiot?" asked Sasuke. "Of course I listened bastard!" the blonde responded.

The two looked as if they were about to get into it when Kakashi decided to interrupt. "No we will not be getting ramen Naru. In fact if I find out that you have gone to Ichiraku's at any point within the next month I'll send you right back to the academy." Naru gave him a sad tearful look "But Sensei!" The grey haired man shook his head "No buts Naru. As the doctor said you need to eat more red meat so we're going for barbecue."

Kakashi turned and headed towards the nearest barbecue place with Sasuke and Sakura right behind him. Naru had to scramble to catch up all the while trying to get her new instructor's attention "Sensei I need ramen…" She tugged on his sleeve "ramen is my life… my god!" Kakashi gave her a slightly disturbed look "You need therapy… lots of it." The group passed Ichiraku's and Naru let out a pitiful sob.

"Ramen… I'm sorry!"

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><p><strong>As always thank you for reading and please review!<strong>


	6. Episode 6: Making Waves

**Episode 6: **

**"Making Waves"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any money off of this story.**

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><p><strong>AN: I'm going to apologize for this chapter right away. You see it's really just a lead up into the next chapter. So as you trudge your way through it just remember that the next one will be better.**

Sunlight streamed through the window to land on the face of a young girl with dark blonde hair and odd markings on her face. "Stupid Sun…" Naru mumbled as the bright light began to aggravate her. She shifted and spent the next couple of minutes trying to return to sleep but eventually gave it up as a lost cause. The blonde let out a growl as she untangled herself from her blanket. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up.

Naru let out a yawn, her back arching as she stretched in a cat like manner. She ran a hand through her hair while she headed towards her bathroom. After relieving herself the young blonde turned on the water in her shower stall. Naru waited for a few seconds before reaching out to test the water temperature. Finding it to her liking she stepped into the stall and closed the sliding glass door.

Naru let out a happy sound as the nearly scalding hot water cascaded over her head and down her back. She began to hum a lively tune as she washed herself. All too soon she was finished and so she turned the water off and stepped out of the stall. The young girl grabbed a towel and dried herself off quickly before heading back to her room.

Naru went over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She pulled out a few articles of clothing before making her way over to the bed where she began to dress. It was only a few minutes later that Naru found herself in front of her mirror. Despite the fact that she looked into the mirror at least once a day Naru was still amazed at how much the last month has changed her.

Even though she had been a shinobi for only a day Naru was removed from the active duty list after fainting in front of her new Jonin instructor. When her new instructor was unable to revive her he brought her to the hospital. That was where Naru met Dr. Sawase a kind woman who gave her the unfortunate news that she would need to spend a month recuperating from iron deficiency anemia. So Naru had been unable to go on any missions with her team.

Over the course of the last month Naru's diet had completely changed. In the past the only thing she had been able to afford had been ramen because food vendors and stores would overcharge her. This directly led to the girl's poor health. However after her trip to the hospital the Hokage demanded that Naru tell him why she wasn't eating properly.

When the Hokage learned that that Naru was being charged many times over what other people paid for basic items like food he was livid. He had ANBU visit every store and stand in the village and warned them that since Naru received money from the village that overcharging her was the same as stealing from the village itself. He also had ANBU mention that anyone caught stealing from the village would spend some quality time with Morino Ibiki the head of the Torture and Interrogation Division.

Naru smiled at her reflection as a feeling of contentment filled her. A month ago she had been a short girl with pale blonde hair and a sickly complexion. While she seemed lively enough she really was only skin and bones. A month of healthy eating had changed that. As Kiba would say she finally had some meat on her bones.

One of the more noticeable changes though was her hair. Previously it laid against her head in short curls the color of corn silk. However over the past month her hair had grown down to her shoulders, lost its distinctive curl, and turned the color of polished gold.

With Naru's weight changing so drastically the girl also had to get a new wardrobe. Her main outfit now consisted of a dark hooded sweatshirt that she kept unzipped over a black t-shirt. She still wore a skirt except the skirt now came to her knees and was black with orange trimming. Naru still had on a pair of shorts underneath the skirt but she had taken Sakura's advice and had switched to a short spandex variety mostly used by cyclists.

Naru gave her reflection a mischievous grin as dashed off towards her bed. Scrambling atop it she reached for her window and shoved it open before hoping out and onto the small balcony. The blonde gave a shout of joy before leaping to the closest rooftop as she headed to where her team was meeting.

It took Naru a grand total of 15 minutes to reach training ground number three. The hyperactive blonde skidded to a halt and stopped just a few inches from slamming into Kakashi. Kakashi looked down at her with his one visible eye and shook his head "Naru I know you just got placed on active duty again but that is no reason to try and break your neck."

Naru pouted "But Sensei I wouldn't break my neck from running." Kakashi's eye turned up in a smile "No but I might have broken it if you had bumped into me and caused me to drop my precious." Naru eyed the book warily and gulped "Come on Kaka-sensei! That's not funny!" By now both Sasuke and Sakura had approached the pair. "I don't think he's joking" said Sasuke. Sakura nodded in agreement.

Naru slowly took a step back "S…So what will we be doing today?" Kakashi placed his precious in his weapons pouch and seemed to think to himself for a moment. "Well since Naru has been cleared health wise and we've spent the last month training together I think it's time we tried for a mission" said Kakashi happily. The three youngest members of Team Seven let out a whoop of joy. At least two of them did Sasuke just Hn'ed.

So with that final thought Team Seven headed towards the Hokage tower to receive they're very first mission. A short while later Team Seven was standing in the mission room before the Hokage and Umino Iruka. "Team Seven is here to request a mission" said Kakashi. The Hokage studied them for a moment, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "Don't you think it's a bit early to be asking for a mission Hatake-san. Naru was only just cleared for active duty today" Iruka said.

Kakashi turned to his student's former instructor "Don't worry about them Iruka. They have been training for the last month together and I am confident in their abilities." Iruka turned to the Hokage "Hokage-sama I must protest…" "Iruka…" interrupted the Hokage "I know you care for your former students but they are shinobi now and Kakashi-kun is their Jonin instructor. If he believes they are ready than we must trust in his judgment."

The Hokage turned to address Team Seven "Unfortunately we are out of D rank missions however if you are truly confident in their abilities than I will allow you to take a C rank." Kakashi looked at his students "Well what do you say?" Sasuke responded with a confident smirk, Sakura placed her hands on her hips and nodded, however Naru had a different reaction. She just stood there with her head bowed and her small form trembling.

Kakashi gave her a worried look "It's alright if you don't feel that you're ready Naru. We can wait till tomorrow for a D rank." Everyone in the room leaned towards the girl equal looks of worry marring their faces. They were nearly knocked over when with a shout Naru jumped into the air. "Yahoo! No stupid D ranks!" yelled the blonde. Naru landed and was going to continue her shouting when Sakura smacked her upside the head. "Don't act like a child, idiot!" Sakura yelled to the blonde.

Naru stood there with tears in her eyes as her hands rubbed at the back of her head to ease the pain. "Ouch! Sakura-chan you didn't need to hit me!" said the blonde with a whimper. Kakashi covered his one visible eye and sighed "Maybe they aren't quite ready yet." Sasuke turned his gaze on Kakashi and glared. The Jonin removed his hand and glanced over at his raven haired student. Sasuke's glare didn't really bother him in fact he found it to be rather adorable that his little Genin was trying to intimidate him. "I think they'll do just fine on a C rank" said Kakashi. The Hokage nodded "We have one C rank, an escort mission to Wave." The Leaf's leader reached over to the intercom beside him "Sara, please send in Tazuna-san." The voice of a woman answered back through the speaker "Hai! Hokage-sama."

Team Seven turned to face the door collectively as it opened and a tall elderly man stumbled into the room. The man known as Tazuna managed to catch himself with one hand on a nearby desk while his other hand brought a bottle of sake to his lips. The man steadied himself as best he could before taking a swig from his bottle. "Ahhh! That hits the spot!" Said the drunk.

Naru turned to the Hokage in dismay "This is a joke right. Please tell me this old drunk isn't the client!" Tazuna gazed at the short blonde and snorted "Hah I came here to hire a team of ninja not a bunch of brats still in diapers!" The three youngest members of Team Seven bristled at the old man's comments.

Kakashi decided to intervene before one of his students got shuriken happy. The grey haired Jonin learned long ago that it was never a good idea to murder your client. At least not before they paid you. "There's no need to worry Tazuna-san. Naru, Sasuke, and Sakura are all shinobi of the Leaf and they will do whatever is necessary to protect you and complete the mission" said Kakashi.

Tazuna took another swig from his bottle and spoke in a rough gravelly voice "Yeah well we'll see than won't we." With that the old man turned around and staggered out of the room. Iruka coughed once to get Team Seven's attention "That was Tazuna a bridge builder from Wave. The mission is to escort him back to Wave and protect him while he completes his bridge. As stated the mission is Ranked C due to the probability of encountering bandits. Does Team Seven wish to accept this mission and all the responsibility it entails?"

Kakashi gave one final glance to his team before stepping forward and taking the scroll being offered to him by Iruka "Team Seven accepts." Iruka nodded solemnly. "If there is nothing else Team Seven than you are dismissed" said the Hokage with a smile. All the members of Team Seven bowed and began to file out of the room one by one.

Naru was the last one to leave but before she could exit the room she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. The blue eyed shinobi looked back to see her former teacher. "Yes Iruka-sensei?" said the blonde pleasantly. Iruka kneeled down in front of the girl. "Naru I'm glad to see that you're doing so much better but I still worry about you" Iruka said, his hand going up to brush a stray lock of hair from her eyes.

Naru's cheeks flushed and she gave her favorite teacher a smile "You don't need to worry about me Iruka-sensei. I'm stronger than I look and much better than before." Iruka frowned "Naru I know you're confident in yourself but it's only been a month since you left the academy." The diminutive blonde nodded "Yeah and I spent the whole month training with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei. Trust me Iruka-sensei we're really different… I'm really different. I told you back when I was still at the academy. I'm going to be Hokage someday. Count on it!"

Iruka stood up and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders "I am counting on it Naru. I've always had faith in you so make me proud okay?" Naru gave him a dazzling smile and a hug before running off to catch up with her teammates. The rest of Team Seven were waiting outside when Naru finally exited the tower. Sasuke looked at her "You are so slow dead last." Naru growled at him "I am not slow bastard!" Sakura responded to Naru's comment "Don't insult Sasuke-kun you dumb blonde!"

Naru made a rude gesture at Sakura "Bite me pinky!" Kakashi rubbed at his temples and seriously considered turning around and declining the mission. "You three need to calm down and grow up. Normally a team starts with D rank missions so they can get used to the idea of working together as a unit. However due to certain circumstances you three have spent the last month training instead. Despite the fact that you have never actually been on a mission I believe that you three have sufficient skill to skip the tedious D rank missions and that is why I accepted the C rank but if you keep up this petty bickering than I will be forced to go back before the Hokage and decline the mission. If I have to do that than I promise you will regret it. Am I understood?"

The three Genin looked at their instructor with a bit of fear and nodded in unison. Kakashi's eye turned up in the approximation of a smile as his tone change to a happier one "Good! Then you're all dismissed. We'll meet tomorrow morning at the gate. Make sure you're prepared for at least a month long excursion." The rest of Team Seven said their farewells and started off for their respective homes.

See pretty boring right? Well anyways thanks for reading and as always please review!


	7. Episode 7: Sakura

**Episode 7:**

** "Sakura"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any money off of this story.**

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><p><strong>AN: The rating of this story had to go up because of this chapter. This is due to rather graphic violence that takes place. If you feel that you cannot go on reading than I thank you for reading up till this point.**

The next day found the three youngest members of Team Seven waiting at the main gate alongside their client Tazuna. They were supposed to have left over an hour ago but their team leader had yet to show up. Sasuke was passing the time by flipping a kunai around the air and catching it without looking.

This provided Sakura all the distraction she needed as she spent her time staring at Sasuke and making the occasional comment about how awesome he was. Naru stood to the side her arms folded an annoyed look on her face. Tazuna simply continued to drink from his seemingly endless supply of alcohol.

It would be another hour before Kakashi finally arrived at the gate. "You're late!" yelled Sakura and Naru together. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Well you see there was this black cat and…" Before he could finish Naru had stomped her way on over to stand in front of him. Kakashi blinked and looked down at his short student. He was going to ask her what she wanted when she drew her leg back and kicked him in the shin. "Liar!" she yelled.

Kakashi's eye went wide and he began jumping up and down on his one uninjured leg. The grey haired Jonin went to grab for the girl but she darted away before he could grab her. The Jonin instructor spent the next ten minutes attempting to catch the blonde to get his revenge but she was remarkably good at evasion.

Eventually though all good things must come to an end and so with a swirl of leaves Kakashi used the shunsin to appear in front of the girl. Naru slammed into Kakashi and would have fallen on her ass had he not grabbed her. The blonde gulped and looked up into her teacher's enraged eye. "Eh…heh… Sorry?" she said meekly.

Kakashi spoke to the girl in a voice as cool as ice "If you ever do that again Naru I will introduce you to one of Konoha's most terrible secret techniques. A thousand years of death!" Blue eyes widened as the young girl stumbled back and away from him. "I'm really sorry Kakashi-sensei. I promise I'll never kick you again" she whimpered.

Kakashi took a step towards Naru. The girl looked as if she were going to bolt however it was all for naught as her teacher's gaze turned from menacing to friendly in less than a heartbeat. "Good, that's all I needed to hear" the grey haired man said fondly. Kakashi turned around to face the rest of their group and took in their slightly disturbed expressions. "What?" he asked.

Sakura gave him a blank look "Are all Jonin as insane as you are?" Kakashi pondered her question before nodding with an eye smile "Yep!" Sasuke snorted and continued to play around with a kunai. "It's official. I'm going to die" said Tazuna before taking another swig from his bottle. For once Naru agreed with him as she turned to face the old drunk "Yeah probably."

Kakashi gave Naru a disapproving stare "Naru don't tell the client that he's going to die." Naru shrugged in response "He said it. I just agreed with him." Kakashi let out a sigh and addressed the rest of the group "Alright we've wasted enough time fooling around. Let's head on out." With a chorus of "Hai Sensei!" and a grumble from Tazuna, Team Seven plus one passed through the gate and left Konoha on their trip to Wave.

The first part of the trip which took them through the forests of Fire Country was mostly uneventful. After a few hours the small group came upon a puddle in the road. The three Genin along with Tazuna didn't look twice at the small patch of water on the ground. At least not until a pair of shadowy figures burst from the puddle and launched themselves at Kakashi. The Genin squad watched in horror as their Sensei was wrapped up in a chain that was being held between the two figures.

A second later the chain was pulled tight and Hatake Kakashi a Jonin of Konoha was ripped to bloody pieces. The group now one member short was too stunned to move let alone utter a word. The two figures turned to face the rest of their prey. One of the pair, the one on the left spoke in a rough voice muffled by the mask that he wore "Well that's one down, Gozu."

The man named Gozu turned to his partner "Who do you think we should kill next Meizu?" Meizu gave a dark chuckle and turned to Sakura. "How about pinky over there she looks fairly weak" Meizu said with a growl. Sasuke, Naru, and Tazuna all turned to Sakura. This is what the pair known as the demon brothers were waiting for as they sprinted off towards Tazuna while the Leaf shinobi were distracted.

Sakura was the first to see since her gaze had remained on the dark pair. The young girl was frightened but she knew her duty so she reached into her weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai. A few quick steps brought her in front of the bridge builder. Sakura faced the oncoming demon brothers the kunai held tightly in her hands.

The demon brothers were less than three feet away from Sakura, clawed gauntlets reaching out for her when a fist slammed into each of their faces. The two Chunin flew backwards a few feet from the momentum before slamming into the ground and skidding to a stop. Gozu and Meizu looked up in surprise to see Sasuke and Naru standing before Sakura.

"You stay away from them!" shouted Naru. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at them "Sakura is our teammate and Tazuna our client. Touch them and you die." The demon brothers stared at the two before bursting out in laughter. The two missing-nin rose to their feet and with a slight movement of their wrists the chain that connected their gauntlets was released and dropped to the ground.

The brothers shared a look that lasted less than a second before they both flickered out of existence. Sasuke being the fastest of his team turned to his left before Meizu's leg slammed into his midsection. All the air in Sasuke's lungs rushed out as the kick sent him sailing into a nearby tree. A thud could be heard as the raven haired boy hit the tree and slumped to the ground.

"Sasuke!" yelled Naru. "I'm your opponent" said Gozu as he appeared before the blonde Genin his arm darting forward. The metal gauntlet flashed in the sun its' clawed tips digging into Naru's flesh when it slammed into her stomach. Gozu's arm would have completely impaled Naru had a flash of steel not come down severing it at the elbow. The man barely had a chance to scream before his head was separated from his body with a spray of blood.

Naru crumpled to the ground, blood flowing freely from the multiple puncture wounds on her stomach. The blonde's vision was wavering but she could still see her Sensei standing above her a sword held tightly in his hands. "Kaka-sensei you're alive" the girl said weakly. Kakashi's gaze moved quickly over each of his students and Tazuna as well. Determining that Naru was the worst off the Jonin placed his sword on the ground and kneeled before the blonde.

Kakashi grabbed the bottom of the girl's blood soaked shirt and uncovered her stomach. The grey haired man was surprised to see that the wounds from Gozu's gauntlet were slowly closing on their own. Kakashi studied the way the wounds hissed and glowed with a crimson light. He would have continued staring in fascination had he not heard Naru's breathing become labored.

Kakashi wiped the blood off of his hand and placed it against Naru's forehead. The girl let out a whimper as her small body was wracked with pain. "Naru sweetie you've been poisoned and I'm going to give you an antidote. It's going to taste really bad but you need to drink all of it, ok?" asked the Jonin softly while he reached into a pouch on his vest and removed a small vial filled with a dark green fluid.

She nodded and opened her mouth when Kakashi brought the uncorked vial to her lips. The dark syrupy fluid filled her mouth and slid down her throat as she struggled to swallow the bitter antidote. Warmth bloomed in the young girl's stomach and spread outwards to her limbs. Naru turned her head towards the sky as her vision went dark. "Sensei…" mumbled the girl softly and then she knew no more.

Bright blue eyes stared into the vortex of swirling red chakra. "Leave me the hell alone!" yelled the girl into the violently churning whirlpool. **"YOU WILL NEVER BE FREE!"** a booming voice roared. The girl stumbled back in fright. "Who are you? Why won't you leave me alone" she asked frantically. **"I am…"**

Naru awoke with a scream her bright blue eyes opening wide in fright. A small hand placed itself on her shoulder and the blonde jerked away. "Calm down Naru" said a deep voice as a larger pair of hands took a hold of her arms. Naru looked towards the person who was holding her and saw the single visible eye of her teacher. "Kakashi-sensei" the girl said in a slightly raspy voice. Kakashi gave the girl a fond look and helped her to sit up before handing her a canteen.

Naru took the offered canteen and drank deeply. She let out a happy sigh and handed the canteen back to her teacher. Naru finally got around to studying her surroundings. She noticed that she was on a small boat surrounded by fog. The boat while not particularly large was big enough to hold all of Team Seven as well as Tazuna and an old man who must be the boat's owner.

Naru looked back to her teacher "What happened Sensei everything seems so blurry." Kakashi let out a sigh "We were attacked. A pair of missing-nin from the Mist Village nicknamed the demon brothers used a special technique to hide themselves in that puddle on the ground." "But I saw you die!" the confused blonde interrupted. Kakashi lowered his head "When they attacked me I used the substitution to get away. I was watching from a safe distance. I should have intervened sooner but I wanted to see how you three would perform."

The grey haired man reached up to run a hand through his messy hair. "That was a mistake. At first you and Sasuke did well but I underestimated how fast they would be. They managed to take out Sasuke and seriously wound you before I could get to you. Naru felt a phantom twinge of pain and placed her hand against her stomach. "We almost lost you" the Jonin said.

"We're here" interrupted the boat's owner as he hopped out into water that only came up to his thighs. He grabbed a rope that was tied to the boat and pulled it the rest of the way until it was resting on the soft muddy earth beneath the water. Tazuna was the first to leave the boat. Once he was on solid ground he held out his hand and helped Sakura out of the boat. Sasuke took a short leap from the boat to land beside Tazuna. Naru let out a squeak as she was scooped up by Kakashi. The grey haired Jonin leaped from the boat with Naru in his arms and landed near Sakura.

"Let me go!" shouted a furiously blushing Naru. Kakashi's eyebrow rose slightly. "Alright" the Jonin said as he purposely dropped the girl. Naru let out a yelp as she hit the ground "Damn it Sensei I didn't mean literally." "Do you even know what literally means blondie?" asked an amused Sasuke.

Naru whipped out a kunai from her weapons pouch. "Call me blondie again Teme and I'll castrate you!" she said angrily. Kakashi moved in front of Sasuke to protect him from the girl's wrath "That's enough Naru. This is not the time to be threatening your teammates." The blonde let out a growl and spun on her heel to face the other direction before throwing the kunai in a nearby bush.

A squeal was heard from the bush as the kunai slammed into it. The bush rustled as a small white figure stumbled out. The snow white rabbit took two hops before falling over dead its pure white fur stained a vivid red where the kunai protruded from its' body. "Naru you idiot!" yelled a horrified Sakura. Tazuna gave the blonde girl a weird look and took an unconscious step away from her. Sasuke shook his head and muttered "Dobe." Kakashi sighed and rubbed at his temples "And that is why we don't just randomly throw kunai."

Naru wasn't the sharpest kunai in the bunch but one thing came to mind right away. The blonde turned towards her teacher. "Sensei, Why is it white?" she asked in her confusion. Kakashi's gaze shot towards the rabbit and the hair on the back of his neck rose. "Everybody get down!" he yelled as he tackled Tazuna to the ground.

Sasuke and Naru dropped to their stomachs at the same time as their Sensei. Sakura however wasn't so fortunate. The pink haired girl was still standing and staring at the poor rabbit when the blade made contact with her body. The rest of the group watched in horror as Sakura was ripped in two. The force of the spinning sword sent the upper half of the girl flying while her lower half fell over.

The upper half of Sakura landed a few yards away, a trail of blood and entrails following in her wake. Sakura heard the sound of the sword hitting the tree and looked up. The last thing she saw was the bandaged face of her killer. Haruno Sakura 12 year old Genin of Konoha and member of Team Seven was dead.

A/N: I would like to take a moment here to explain something. First I didn't kill Sakura because I hate her. Nor did I kill her for shock value. The reason that she is dead leads back to the change in Naruto's gender. In the original series when Naruto was male he didn't kill that rabbit. This shows how a small change can cause a dramatic impact in the world. Since the rabbit died this time Sakura was frozen in shock and well you saw what happened.

This will be a recurring theme in this story. Sometimes things will only change slightly like the difference between a living or dead rabbit. Those small changes though can snowball into even larger ones.

As always I thank you for reading and please review!


	8. Episode 8: Giving In

**Episode 8: **

**"Giving In"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any money off of this story.**

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><p><strong>AN: More violence ahead.**

Darkness surrounded her, an all consuming void of hatred and despair. Before her was the only source of light, a swirling vortex of crimson chakra. The girl stood there her head bowed, tears flowing down her face. "What should I do?" the girl asked softly to herself. "Give in" said a voice beside her. The girl turned her head to the left and saw a tall man with long grey hair and eyes the color of obsidian.

"All it takes is a leap of faith" said a softer, younger voice. The girl's head snapped to the right, her blue eyes opening wide at the sight of the pink haired girl. "Sa…" the girl started to say before being quieted by a pale delicate hand being placed over her mouth. "Shhh… don't say it." The pink haired girl said.

The young girl nodded and the pink haired one removed her hand. "I don't understand" the girl said sadly. The grey haired man placed his hand on her left shoulder and the pink haired girl did the same to her right. "You don't need to understand. You simply need to trust us. You know what you need to do." The grey haired man said softly.

The girl nodded and gulped before shutting her eyes. "Thank you" she said in a whisper as she leaped forwards into the swirling vortex of chakra. The girl never saw the blood red eyes, the fanged teeth, or the psychotic grins on their faces.

"**SAKURA" **roared Naru in a deep guttural voice.

Sasuke was staring in horror at the remains of his teammate. The raven haired boy liked to think of himself as an avenger, the consummate shinobi. He had seen death before and believed that he had cut his heart off from the terrible nature of it but as he stared at the dead body of his teammate he began to experience a prickling sensation in his eyes.

Sasuke's gaze was ripped from the remains of Sakura as he heard a loud animalistic roar from beside him. Sasuke's eyes fell upon Naru just before a wave of chakra erupted from her body. The raven haired boy was blown back, his body tumbling across the ground from the force of the explosion. Sasuke's momentum was halted by the strong grip of his teacher who had grabbed him before he could slam into a nearby tree.

Sasuke and Kakashi looked at eachother at the same time, their eyes opening wide. "Sharingan" they said in unison. Sasuke's confusion at seeing his teacher with a sharingan eye quickly turned to a morbid sense of glee when he glanced at his own image reflected in his teacher's raised hitai-ate and saw the proof of his own bloodline.

Sasuke's glee turned to dread however when he remembered just why he had to be saved by Kakashi. "Something's wrong with Naru" the boy said urgently as he looked back to where he had last seen her. What he saw though nearly caused his heart to stop in fear. Naru was standing there, her back facing Sakura's killer.

Naru stood there her small form trembling, as a violent wind swirled around her. The blonde's head rose and her eyes opened showing off a pair of crimson eyes with slitted pupils. The girl bared her teeth a pair of razor sharp fangs glinting in the sun. Crimson eyes glanced at Sasuke and Kakashi, a low rumbling growl escaping the girl's mouth.

"What the hell are you" said the gravelly voice of Momochi Zabuza, Jonin and missin-nin of Kirigakure the village hidden in the Mists. The girls head snapped back at the sound of Zabuza's voice, her eyes gazing at the clouds as a roar erupted from her throat. All of a sudden the swirling winds around her ignited turning into a tornado of red chakra.

Zabuza's eyes widened as the freakish girl flickered out of existence. He leapt from atop the large sword and grabbed its' handle. He tried to pull it free when a clawed fist slammed into his side. The man let out a choked sound as he was sent flying a hundred yards before hitting a tree with a sickening crack.

Zabuza somehow remained conscious long enough to see his own sword flying towards him. He tried to move but found that he couldn't feel anything below his waist. The last thing Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Mist ever heard was his tool's scream.

Kakashi watched wide eyed as his young student, a Genin dispatched a Jonin single handedly. The grey haired man would probably have just stood there in his stupor had he not seen the figure charging towards Naru. "ZABUZA-SAMA!" screamed the slim figure dressed in the formal outfit of a Kiri hunter-nin. That scream was what finally set the man in motion.

Haku watched in horror as the reason for his existence was struck down with his own blade. The only thing running through the young man's mind now was the thought of revenge. The fake hunter-nin let a senbon needle slide into his hand and was going to drive it into the back of the blonde girl's skull when he was grabbed from behind. Haku's surprise lasted only a heartbeat before he felt the cold touch of steel slide across his throat. Kakashi released the now limp form of Haku and watched with disinterest as his body slid to the ground. The fake hunter-nin let out a bloody gurgle and stilled.

Kakashi stepped over the dead body before him and carefully approached his remaining female student. "Naru" he said softly. The girl turned to face him her eyes still that violent shade of red. The Jonin continued to walk towards the girl however he paused when he noticed that she was staring at the bloody kunai in his hand. Kakashi opened his hand and allowed the kunai to fall to the ground before he continued his approach.

Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as his Jonin instructor walked up to Naru. He fully expected the feral girl to kill them both but was surprised when she allowed their teacher to wrap her up in a hug. Seeing that he wasn't likely to be killed by the blonde he finally got to his feet and made his way over to them.

By the time Sasuke reached them Naru was seemingly back to normal. Well as normal as the sobbing, blood stained girl could seem. "Hey…" Sasuke said once he was beside them. Naru having heard Sasuke's voice pushed away from her teacher and launched herself at Sasuke. The raven haired boy steadied himself after the girl slammed into him and wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh… it'll be alright" he said in a surprising display of tenderness.

Naru being slightly shorter looked up at him her eyes once again a bright blue. "She's gone and I k…k…killed him" she said as more tears cascaded down her face. Sasuke brought a hand up and placed it against the girl's cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear. "Don't cry for them. Sakura died honorably while fulfilling her duty and that man deserved his death. Don't feel bad for the man that killed our teammate" Sasuke said firmly. The blonde nodded with a sniffle and pulled back her hands going up to rub at her eyes.

At the same time that Sasuke was comforting Naru Kakashi had gone over to collect the remains of his fallen student. His two remaining students walked up to him as he finished sealing the scroll that now held Sakura's body. "Sensei please!" said Naru pleadingly. The Jonin studied her for a moment before speaking "Are you certain Naru?"

The blonde gulped and nodded. The grey haired man sighed and held the scroll out towards the girl. "Do you Uzumaki Naru swear to return Haruno Sakura to Konoha so that she may return to her home and final resting place no matter what the cost?" asked Kakashi in a grave voice. Naru straightened her back, a determined look in her eyes as she took the black scroll from her teacher. "I do so swear" she said with confidence.

Kakashi stood and looked down at his student his eye turning upwards in a smile. "I'm proud of you Naru" he said while ruffling her hair. Kakashi turned his gaze upon Sasuke "I'm proud of you as well Sasuke." Sasuke glared at him. "What for? The only thing I did was lay there and watch as Sakura was killed and Naru…" the raven haired boy trailed off. "What the hell was that? That red chakra, the eyes, the teeth, and the feeling… It felt… evil" he said quietly.

Kakashi was trying to come up with a half baked excuse when he was interrupted by Naru. "It was the Kyubi. It's sealed inside of me because the Yondaime couldn't kill it" Naru paused for a moment her eyes shifting to the side before she continued "I was so angry when Sakura died that I… I gave in… I gave in and used its' power." The girl shut her eyes tightly and whimpered. "It felt good, so very good to just give in… part of me wants to let go again. I…I…its addicting" she said softly.

Kakashi looked slightly alarmed "Naru you need to fight it. No matter how good it might feel you can't give in to that power. It will corrupt you and I can't bear to lose another student." Sasuke placed his hand on the girl's shoulder "Why didn't you tell us…me?" Naru sighed "I didn't want you to hate me like everyone else. Sure you're an asshole but you've never been cruel to me."

Sasuke smacked her upside the head. "I'm not going to hate you simply because you have a monster sealed inside of you. I'm a shinobi and an Uchiha. Trust me I've heard of weirder things" he said with a snort. Naru rubbed the back of her head and tried to glare at him however the glare was being overshadowed by her growing smile.

The group had forgotten all about Tazuna until the man had stumbled up to them. The elderly bridge builder walked up to Kakashi looking distraught. "Hatake-san I am so sorry about your student" he said. Kakashi looked at the bridge builder, his masked face unreadable. "Thank you for your condolences" The Jonin said as he shoved a kunai into the man's stomach, his two Genin watching on in shock.

Kakashi used his free hand to pull the other man close. "You lied to us. You said that you only had to worry about some bandits. Not other shinobi. Had we known the truth Konoha never would have sent out a team of Genin and my student would still be alive" he said venomously. Tazuna leaned against the man on wobbly legs. "I'm sorry… w…we couldn't afford anything more" the bridge builder said as blood began to flow down his chin.

Kakashi growled out "Not my problem!" He twisted the kunai and shoved it deeper. "Your actions directly lead to the death of a ninja of the Leaf. Consider your death to be repayment for services rendered. A life for a life" Kakashi continued. The Jonin leaned closer and whispered into the man's ear "Your home and your family will burn. I hope that thought comforts you in the afterlife." Tazuna's body took one last shuddering breath before stilling. Kakashi allowed the corpse to fall to the ground as he stepped away.

Kakashi turned to his students. "Let's go home" he said. Naru looked at him warily "But Sensei what about the mission?" Sasuke once again smacked her upside the head "The client is dead retard there is no mission." Kakashi sighed "Sasuke stop hitting Naru. And Sasuke is right, the only mission we have now is to return Sakura to Konoha."

The weight of their loss once again settled upon them. Kakashi took this moment to walk over to Zabuza's body. "Come along you two. I'm going to show you how to prepare and seal a body for transport in a scroll" said the grey haired instructor. "Why?" asked Naru. Kakashi chuckled "Because you're rich Naru." "What" chorused the two Genin.

Kakashi let out a snort. "Momochi Zabuza was a missing-nin from Kiri and you killed him Naru. When his body is positively identified you will be eligible to receive the bounty" he said plainly. Naru perked up a bit. "Really how much is it?" asked the blonde curiously. Kakashi tossed her his bingo book. Naru opened the small book and leafed through it with Sasuke looking over her shoulder.

Having not heard anything from his students for a couple of minutes turned his gaze over to them only to find both on the ground unconscious. The Jonin shook his head and continued with the sealing of Zabuza's body. Kakashi allowed his two students a couple hours of rest before nudging them awake.

Naru sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "What happened?" the girl asked sleepily. Kakashi eye smiled at her "Well it seems that after discovering how much Zabuza's bounty was worth you passed out from exhaustion." Sasuke rose to his feet "I think it was more shock than exhaustion. Did you see how much she is going to get?" Kakashi shrugged. "That's how it goes" he said nonchalantly.

Naru looked around and fingered the black scroll that was tied to her waist. "So what now?" she asked. Kakashi walked over to his students and placed a hand on each of their heads. "Now we go back to Konoha" the grey haired man said. The two Genin gave their instructor a nod and the group turned towards home.

"I hope we can find a boat" said Sasuke offhandedly.

A/N: Just to let you know all my fights will be that short. They are ninja and therefore they go for the quick kill. While flashy jutsu are cool they don't make much sense. They are assassins.

As always thanks for reading and please review!


	9. Episode 9: Return

**Episode 9:**

** "Return"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but if I did the show/manga would not focus so much on Sasuke.**

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><p>Kotetsu and Izumo led a fairly easy life. Since the two became Chunin their sole job has been to stand guard over the village gate which more often than not meant a lot of paperwork. Usually the most interesting part of their day was when a team returned home from a mission. So when the lookout atop the wall signaled to them that a group was approaching the gate the Chunin started to think that their day was finally looking up.<p>

The two men stood up from their seats as the group stepped through the gate. They both greeted them with smiles on their faces however those smiles quickly faded when they saw the black scroll tied to Naru's waist. Both of the Chunin had been trained on what to do in this situation but it was Izumo who took the initiative as he stepped forward to face Naru.

"Who goes there?" he asked in a formal tone.

"Uzumaki Naru Genin of Konoha" replied the blonde.

"What business do you have within these walls?" Izumo continued.

"I am bringing Haruno Sakura Genin of Konoha home" Naru finished with a hint of sadness in her voice. Izumo nodded and stepped aside.

"Welcome home" offered Kotetsu as they passed by.

A short while later Team Seven found themselves standing before a quiet Hokage and a distraught Iruka. "It was too soon…" Iruka said sadly. "They weren't ready yet!" he said, his voice rising in volume. The Chunin stood up and pointed a finger at Kakashi. "It's your fault, you bastard! It was your job to protect them!" he yelled.

"Sit down Iruka!" Sarutobi commanded.

Sarutobi Hiruzen the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha stared at the scroll now sitting before him. "What happened Kakashi?" questioned the old man. Kakashi stepped forward and spoke "The mission started without a problem. As far as we knew it was a standard C rank mission. However shortly before we reached the coast we were attacked by a pair of missing-nin from the Hidden Mist. Naru was injured severely during the ensuing battle."

Kakashi's gaze shifted slightly towards Iruka when he heard the Chunin's hiss of breath at his last statement. "Please continue" said the aging Hokage. Kakashi's eye shifted back to Sarutobi and he continued with his report "I knew at that moment that we had been lied to and that the mission was at least B rank."

The Jonin seemed to struggle with the next part, his voice heavy with regret "Naru was so badly injured that I feared she wouldn't survive the return trip to Konoha. At that time we were closer to Wave so I decided that we would continue forward…" Kakashi spent the next 20 minutes conveying the rest of his tale to Iruka and the Hokage. By the time he was finished Iruka's eyes were wide open and the Hokage was as pale as a ghost.

Sarutobi made a slight motion with his hand and almost instantly an ANBU was standing before him. "How may I serve you Hokage-sama?" asked the man in a hawk shaped mask. "I want you to assemble a team of five of your best trackers for a mission" he replied. The man in the mask gave a quick nod "What is the mission?" The Hokage studied the man's clay mask for a second before responding "Your mission is to find Jiraiya and return him to Konoha as soon as possible."

Despite his professionalism the man let out a choked sound. "Jiraiya-sama? Lord Hokage please forgive me but I doubt Jiraiya of the Sannin will just return because we ask him to" the hawk man said. The Hokage sighed "I share your doubts however you are to tell him that it involves The Blonde." The ANBU glanced quickly at the young blonde standing off to the side. "The Blonde?" he said questioningly.

The Hokage nodded "Yes, Jiraiya will know what it means." The man in the hawk mask bowed "If that will be all Hokage-sama…" The village leader inclined his head and the ANBU disappeared as abruptly as he had appeared. Sarutobi reached for his pipe. He packed it with tobacco and brought it to his lips as he lit it with a match. The old man took a long drag off of the pipe and let the smoke out with a sigh.

"Kakashi, while I understand your reasoning I cannot condone your actions. Once you knew that the mission was not what it seemed you should have turned back" he said firmly. "As it stands however you did not and now I have to explain to Sakura's parents why their daughter won't be coming home tonight" the old man continued. He would have kept going had he not been interrupted by an irate blonde.

"It's not his fault!" shouted the girl. Naru stepped forward and stood in front of her teacher as if to protect him. "Kakashi-sensei did what he thought was best for us. It was my fault that I couldn't protect myself from that claw guy and if I hadn't killed that rabbit than Sakura might have ducked in time…" the girl trailed off as the truth of their loss once again settled around her like an unwelcomed guest.

Iruka having gotten over his earlier shock turned to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama I don't think anyone is truly to blame for what transpired. It was a series of unfortunate events and mistakes that snowballed into a nightmare. Hatake-san couldn't have anticipated the kind of danger that they were in. And while I agree that he should have gotten involved before Naru could become injured I believe he made the right decision in continuing on to wave" Iruka said with some confidence.

The Hokage took another drag and gave Iruka a small nod before turning back to Kakashi. "I'll take Iruka and Naru's words under advisement. Under normal circumstances you would be suspended with pay while awaiting a review of your actions. However since suspending would in effect harm Sasuke and Naru as well you will be docked the pay for this mission. You will also be fined in the amount of one B rank mission" he said.

Naru looked like she was going to interrupt once again but Sasuke shoved his hand over her mouth and dragged her away from their teacher. The Hokage gave him a grateful smile before continuing to address the Jonin "As to the fate of Tazuna…" Kakashi actually had the good sense to look a bit sheepish when the Hokage mentioned their former client.

"While I think you could have gone about it in a better way, Tazuna brought about his own fate when he lied to us and caused the death of one of our own" the aged leader said with more than a hint of anger. The Jonin bowed to his leader "Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Naruto, Sasuke please step forward" Sarutobi requested. The two Genin moved closer to the desk and stood before the Hokage at attention. "The both of you will be receiving commendations for your actions during the mission. You showed great courage in taking on the demon brothers to protect Sakura and the client" the old man said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Commendations? Why, all we did was get our asses handed to us" Sasuke said candidly. The Hokage took a drag from his pipe and gave the boy a smile "While you may have been overpowered, you must remember that the demon brothers were highly experienced Chunin. By taking them on without hesitation you were able to buy enough time for Kakashi to finish them off. However there is one thing I want you two to keep in mind and that is while a punch to the face can be effective at deterring an opponent; a kunai to the face can end things much sooner."

Sasuke gave the old man a lightly shocked look but decided to keep his thoughts to himself. "_The old man is crazy"_ he thought. Sarutobi turned his head slightly towards Naru "As for you Naru. I am amazed at what you have accomplished here. For a newly minted Genin to take down an experienced Jonin is almost unheard of. Not only did you manage to defeat Zabuza but you did it without taking a single wound from the man."

Naru shook her head and stared at the ground sadly. "It wasn't me that beat him it was…" she began before being interrupted by the Hokage. "No it WAS you that defeated Zabuza. Never doubt that" he said sharply. "Zabuza died by your hands because he underestimated you. Even a Kage can be defeated by a Genin if he doesn't take them seriously" the Hokage finished softer than he began.

The young blonde chewed on her lip for a moment before speaking once again "But that power… I didn't…" Once again Naru found herself being interrupted by the aged leader "Don't allow yourself to be swayed by the opinions of others. That power is yours to control, not the other way around." The blonde gave him a small smile as his words reassured her

Sarutobi took his now unlit pipe and placed it on the desk. "Now as to the matter of Haruno Sakura, while she may not have been a shinobi for very long the fact is she died in service to the village. For that she will receive a full military funeral. The date for this shall be decided later after I have had time to consult with her parents. For now and at least until after the funeral I am placing Team Seven on medical leave. You are dismissed" he said with finality.

Team Seven collectively bowed to their leader before filing out of the office one by one. On their way out they saw a couple heading towards the office. The man, an older gentleman with short gray hair and a goatee was supporting a sobbing woman with shoulder length pink hair. The couple stopped when they came face to face with Team Seven.

"Haruno-san" Kakashi said in acknowledgement, his voice filled with regret. The older man looked like he was going to speak when his wife jerked away from him. The pink haired woman walked over to Naru. The blonde's look of confusion only lasted a moment before the slap sent her head snapping to the side. Naru's hand went up cradling her stinging cheek. She flinched when she saw the woman raise her hand again.

The woman would have hit Naru again had her husband not rushed over to grab her wrist. "Sayo please stop!" the man begged urgently. Sayo ignored her husband as well as the two male shinobi who now had kunai in their hands. "It should have been you!" shouted the woman. "You're nothing but a demon! It should have been you that died, not my daughter" she finished with a sob, tears streaming one after another down her face.

Naru stood their frozen, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I'm s…s…sorry" the young girl whimpered. "I don't want the apologies of a monster! I want my Sakura back!" the woman shouted. "Sayo that's enough" said the Haruno patriarch.

"Yes that is quite enough I think" the Hokage said as he strode out of his office.

"Hokage-sama please she didn't mean it!" the grey haired Haruno said pleadingly. "The village leader shook his head "I am sorry Haruno-san but the law is clear. Your wife knew the consequences of her actions and now she must pay the price for her crime." Sarutobi motioned with his hand and two ANBU appeared before them. "Haruno Sayo you have broken the Third's law that was set in place 12 years ago. For your crime I sentence you to death. ANBU please take Haruno-san to the prison and schedule her execution for the morning" he said grimly.

The pink haired woman stared at them her jaw open in shock as her eyes opened almost comically wide. She shouted for her husband to save her but he could only watch with sorrowful eyes as the ANBU dragged her away. The elder Haruno slumped to the ground. "Please Hokage-sama I beg you. Take my life as well. I cannot go on living having lost both my daughter and now my wife" the grey haired man pleaded. Sarutobi contemplated the man's request for a moment before shaking his head.

"That isn't a request I can grant Haruno-san. We all must deal with loss" the Hokage would have continued had he not been interrupted by Naru tugging on the sleeve of his formal robes. "Please let her go Ji-chan. She didn't mean it. Please don't kill her" the tearful girl begged. The old man placed his wrinkled hand atop the girl's head. "I'm sorry Naru but the law is clear" he replied.

Naru pulled away and stumbled over to the grey haired man on the ground before kneeling beside him. "I'm sorry… I didn't… I…" after a few tries she gave up trying to speak and just kneeled there beside the man her own sorrow weighing her down. The elder Haruno looked at the girl and felt a pang in his heart. He reached out and wiped the tears from the blonde's face. "Don't cry child, it's not your fault. The Hokage is right. Sayo knew what she was doing when she called you a…" he trailed off for a moment before continuing.

"She only has herself to blame for her actions" he finished. Naru looked at him through eyes puffy from crying, her lower lip trembling. The man gathered his courage and gave the girl a slight smile. "I'm Haruno Kensuke" he said as cheerfully as he could. The girl returned his smile as best she could "U…Uzumaki N…N…Naru."

The Hokage smiled at them both and took his chance to address them "Often during times of our greatest sorrow we can find hope, a reason to go on despite all the pain we may feel. I believe this is such a time. As it turns out the building where Naru's apartment is located has currently been scheduled for demolition."

"WHAT?" The blonde screeched.

The others in the hallway rubbed at their abused as Naru spent the next five minutes complaining in a rather high pitched tone. Eventually Kakashi had to cover her mouth to keep them all from going deaf. "Calm down Naru" he said. The girl responded by opening her mouth wide and biting down on his hand. Kakashi glanced from her to his gloved hand and back to her. "It's an armored glove" he said blandly.

She growled and released his hand before stepping back, her lips turning down in a pout. Sarutobi looked on with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Kensuke-san, I know this is a trying time for you but maybe by taking in Naru and providing a home for her you can find a new reason to continue living" he said.

Naru looked like she was going to say something when the elder Haruno spoke up. "I think you are right Hokage-sama and so I formally request to adopt Uzumaki Naru" the man said with confidence. Once again before Naru could say anything the Hokage spoke up "request granted." Naru stood at the Hokage and her new father her blue eyes conveying her shock. She finally did get to speak though.

"WHAT!" she screeched out once again.

Bwuahaha you weren't expecting that now were you? As always please read and review!


	10. Episode 10: Home

**Episode 10: **

**"Home"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, for if I did Sasuke would have had his precious eyes plucked out a long time ago.**

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><p>Naru sat at the modest table a fork in her hand. She slowly swirled the food around her plate as she tried to ignore the awkward silence that filled the space between her and the grey haired man sitting on the other side of the table. To his credit Haruno Kensuke was having a slightly easier time dealing with the weird situation they now found themselves in.<p>

When Kensuke asked the Hokage if he could adopt Uzumaki Naru he wasn't exactly in his right mind. Having his wife sentenced to death so soon after losing his daughter had sent the man spiraling into depression. All he wanted at the time was to die so he could be with his family once again. The Hokage would not grant his request though.

When the aged leader made it known that Naru needed a home, at least temporarily the last surviving Haruno grabbed onto the idea as if it were a lifeline. In an instant the depressed man made an impulsive decision that now left him and the young girl in such an odd situation.

Kensuke let out a cough to break the silence and put a smile on his face. "So Naru why don't you tell me about yourself" he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster up. The blonde girl jumped as the man's voice broke through the silence that surrounded them, her fork clanging against the plate when it slipped from her fingers.

The man nodded somewhat eagerly. "Yeah, I mean sure I may know who you are but Sakura never really said much about you and if you're going to be staying here it's probably best if I get to know you better" he said cheerfully. Naru chewed on her lower lip for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Well my name is Uzumaki Naru. Or at least I think it is… Will it be Haruno now? Because Haruno Naru just sounds… odd" she asked with her head tilted slightly to the side. The grey haired man chuckled and shook his head. "No you won't have to change your name if you don't want to Naru" he replied. The blonde grinned at him happily before continuing.

"Hmm let's see… I'm 12 years old and I'll be 13 in six months. I like ramen! A lot... but Kakashi-sensei says I can't eat too much of it" she said sadly. Kensuke had to fight to keep himself from laughing. He didn't want Naru to think that he was making fun of her. Naru gave him a weird look when she noticed the expression on his face but decided to let it pass as she continued with her little autobiography.

Naru spent a moment trying to think of what else she could tell him that he probably didn't know. An image flashed in her mind of Mizuki leaning over her, his body dwarfing hers in size. The blonde shook her head rapidly trying to expel the embarrassing memory from her mind. Naru's face flushed a bright red when she realized that Kensuke was giving her an odd look.

"I have anemia" the girl blurted out quickly to disguise her embarrassment. "The doctor says that I don't have enough iron in my body so I have to eat iron rich foods and I also have pills with me just in case" she finished hastily. The elder Haruno looked at her an expression of alarm plastered across his face.

"Isn't that a rather dangerous condition for you to have while being a shinobi?" asked the man in his confusion. Naru nodded in response. "It can be, but as long as I make sure to eat properly and take my iron pills I should be just fine. At least that's what the doctor said" she said with a nervous giggle.

Kensuke let out a sigh of relief. "Well I guess that doesn't sound too bad" he said as his expression of alarm turned into a smile. The blonde shrugged "It doesn't really bother me except…" She trailed off without finishing her sentence, her cheeks once again a rosy color. The grey haired man gave her a gentle smile. "When you menstruate" he finished her sentence softly.

Naru's eyes widened and her blush darkened. "How did you know?" she asked in wonderment. Kensuke chuckled and spoke "It was Sakura. She was surprisingly worried about you when you fainted shortly after becoming a part of Team Seven. Sakura was actually the one to suggest anemia as the source of your troubles to the doctor."

Silence once again descended upon them as they remembered the pink haired girl that lost her life only a few short days ago. "I'm sorry Haruno-san!" the blonde blurted out, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Kensuke stood up with a sigh and walked over to the now sobbing preteen. He kneeled beside her and reached out.

Gathering the girl up in his arms he pulled her against his chest and whispered in her ear while stroking her back. "Shhh… don't be sorry Naru. What happened to Sakura wasn't your fault" he said quietly. Naru Hiccupped and whispered back "But she was my teammate I should have been able to help her. I saw… I saw her die and it hurts."

Kensuke wished with all his might that he could break down like Naru was doing. However the Hokage knew what he was doing when he made his suggestion. When his wife was sentenced to death it felt as if his heart had been torn from his body. He was empty, devoid of any drive to continue living. Adopting Naru had been an act of desperation from a dying man.

And amazingly enough it was working. The diminutive blonde has worked her way into his heart in such a small amount of time. There would always be pain when he remembered the loss of his wife and child but maybe he could ease that pain with new memories. Memories he could make with Naru, a girl that nobody wanted and nearly everyone hated.

Kensuke wasn't lying when he told Naru that he didn't blame her for the loss of his daughter. Sakura died young, way too young but that was the life that she chose for herself. He knew deep down that Sakura would never regret the choice to become a shinobi. So he would be strong. Not because he wanted to be but because he needed to be. He had to be strong for Naru, and so that his daughter could look upon him with pride from the afterlife.

The grey haired man spent an indeterminate amount of time there on the floor with the blonde child in his arms. He would rock her gently and whisper words of comfort in her ear. Eventually he realized that the girl's trembling had stilled. Pulling back slightly he looked down at her face. Kensuke gave the now sleeping girl a smile and stood up.

He carried Naru to the master bedroom and laid the girl on the bed. As gently as he could he pulled her sandals from her feet and placed them beside the bed. After doing that he slowly unzipped the girl's hooded sweater. He had to lift her back slightly to remove the sweater but he managed to do it with only a quiet mumble coming from the still sleeping child. Lastly he removed the hitai-ate from around her head before pulling a blanket over her small form.

The middle aged man smiled warmly at the girl as she curled up beneath the soft blanket. With a nod to himself Kensuke left the room and shut the door quietly as to not disturb the girl's sleep. He turned to his left and trekked down the hallway passing two other doors before coming to a stop In front of the one he was looking for. The man gathered his courage and shut his eyes as he opened the door with a gentle shove.

Kensuke stepped into the room with his eyes still shut. It took him a moment before he could open his eyes and look at the pale pink walls of his daughter's room. A choked sob escaped from the man's throat and tears gathered at the corner of his eyes before spilling down his face. A large hand went up to wipe the tears away. He had a job to do and he wouldn't ignore it simply because it hurt.

While it was fine for Naru to sleep in his bed tonight she would eventually need her own bedroom. When Kensuke and Sayo first became married they talked about having a large family. However it was shortly after Sakura's birth that they found out that they would never again conceive a child together. So it was with heavy hearts that the two of them purchased this house.

It turned out to be a wonderful home for the three of them. If he had another option he would leave Sakura's room just as she left it but the one downside to this house was that it only contained two bedrooms. So it was with a pained heart that Kensuke went about boxing up his late daughter's belongings.

The small figure shifted around a bit on the soft bed as blue eyes blurry with sleep opened. Naru rubbed at her eyes and yawned before stretching. She pushed the blankets off of her and sat up her gaze slowly encompassing the room. "Where am I?" she asked herself as she stood up from the bed. Her toes flexing as the cool touch of the wooden floor sent a shiver up her spine. She saw her sandals lying beside the bed but decided to leave them for now, so she walked over to the door and opened it.

"Kensuke-san?" said Naru as she stepped out into the hallway. "I'm over here Naru!" replied a deep voice from a doorway down the hall. The blonde smiled and turned left before rushing down the hall towards the voice's origin. She came to a stop in front of an opened door and wrinkled her nose as the scent of fresh paint assaulted her sense of smell.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked with a small giggle as she took in Kensuke's paint spattered form. The grey haired man shrugged. "I thought you might like a different color for your room. You don't seem like the kind of person that enjoys pink very much" he replied. The blonde shuddered in mock horror and stepped through the threshold into the room. Naru gazed at the walls now painted a pale shade blue and smiled. "It's really pretty, thank you" the girl said as she walked over to her adoptive father. Naru, always the affectionate one latched onto the man and hugged him as tightly as she could.

Kensuke responded in kind as his arms wrapped around the girl to return her hug. They stood like that for a few second before Naru pulled away with a smile on her face. Naru was going to say something when she noticed a pair of figures in the window. "Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke too!" she shouted as she rushed over to the pair.

"How are you doing Naru?" asked her teacher as his gloved hand reached out to ruffle her hair. The blonde let out a yelp and shoved his hand away. "I'm fine and don't do that again!" she grumbled as she tried to smooth out her hair. "You're such an idiot" said Sasuke after witnessing their antics. The blonde's grumble turned into a growl. "Shut up Sasuke or I'll kick your ass!" she shouted her fists clenching.

The raven haired boy snorted. "Like you could blondie" he said with disinterest. Said blonde's eyes narrowed as her lips turned up slowly into a smile. "Oh yeah? Have you forgotten how I knocked you out during the graduation exam? I certainly haven't" she said with a gloating tone to her voice. Sasuke hopped into the room and stepped towards the girl. His progress was halted however when a gloved hand placed itself against his chest.

"That's enough Sasuke. We didn't come here for this." Kakashi said before removing his hand. The raven haired Genin gave him a blank look before turning away from them. "Hn…" he replied. Naru sighed and rubbed at her temples before fixing her teacher with a glare. "Why are you here Sensei?" she asked. Kakashi gave her one of his patented eye smiles. "Well I wanted to get you and Sasuke together so I could tell you that I have recommended Team Seven for the upcoming Chunin exams" he said cheerfully.

Naru's eyes narrowed at the sound of her teacher's overly cheerful voice. "What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously. Her teacher, a Jonin actually let out a nervous chuckle at the Genin's question. "Well… as it turns out the Chunin exams are taken in teams of three. So I went ahead and requested a new member for Team Seven" he said with the same false cheer.

Kakashi shivered as the temperature of the room seemed to drop to near freezing. "Who?" Naru asked in a tone that promised death. Kakashi was saved from the need to respond by the emergence of a soft high pitched voice. "Are you my new team?" asked a young child with dark brown hair and pupilless lavender eyes. Naru's jaw dropped as she looked at the girl who could be no older than eight. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Hyuga Hanabi" replied the girl.

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><p><strong>AN: Well folks I hope you enjoyed this mostly filler chapter with a nice little twist at the end. As always thank you for reading and please review!**


	11. Episode 11: Team Seven Part Deux!

**Episode 11: **

**"Team Seven Part Deux!"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, than the Sharingan wouldn't be the most ridiculous Deus Ex Machina ever thought up.**

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><p>Naru stared at the child for a moment before turning her gaze towards her teacher. "You're joking, right?" she asked. Kakashi shook his head in response "No, this isn't a joke. Genin squads are comprised of three members. We would have needed to find a new member even if the Chunin exams weren't coming up. Unfortunately the only available Genin was Hanabi."<p>

Naru looked over her new teammate once more before glaring at Kakashi. "But she's just a little kid!" the blonde exclaimed. Kakashi walked over to stand behind his newest student and placed his hand on top of her head. "I will admit that Hanabi is quite young, however she passed the same Genin exam that you did" he said cheerfully.

Naru would have continued arguing if she wasn't interrupted by Sasuke. "You mentioned the Chunin exams" he said. Kakashi patted Hanabi's head before pulling away and responding to Sasuke "Yes I did. You may or may not know that the Chunin selection exams are held once every six months. The location of the exams changes from one village to another on a rotating basis. It just so happens that this next set of exams will take place right here in Konoha."

"It's the responsibility of each Jonin instructor to determine whether or not his team is ready to take the exams. After your performance during the mission I decided to nominate you but as I said the test is taken in teams of three. Hanabi had recently graduated the academy and because she graduated early there was no one else to form a team with. Under normal circumstances a tutor would take her on while she waited for a spot to free up on another team."

"This has occurred a bit sooner than expected but considering we needed to fill out the team. It works out for us in the end. Either way discussing it is pointless as she's a part of Team Seven now. And on that note I want you three to meet me at training ground 18 in an hour" with that being said Kakashi gave them a wave before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naru grabbed at her hair and tugged on it in frustration. "Grrr… I hate it when he does that!" she shouted with a growl. Sasuke gave his two teammates a look of disinterest. "Hn…" he mumbled before turning away and leaping out of the window. Naru growled once again at turned her gaze to the newest member of Team Seven. "Well?" she said.

"Well what?" asked the brunette.

Naru gave her a blank stare "Aren't you going to go out of the window like everyone else?" Hanabi looked at her as if she had some strange disease. "Do I look like I want to jump out of a window when there is a perfectly good door nearby?" she asked as she turned away from the blonde and calmly walked out of the room.

Naru's gaze dropped to the floor as she wilted. "They're going to be the death of me" she said with a whimper. The blonde girl looked up when a large hand settled on her back. "Don't worry about it too much dear. I'm sure Hanabi will be a great teammate. Just give her a chance" Kensuke said as enthusiastically as possible.

Naru let out a sigh and gave her adoptive father a smile. "I better get going or Kakashi-sensei might actually get there before me" she said before heading off towards the open door. Just before leaving she turned her head back to Kensuke and waived. "Bye Dad!" she said cheerfully before walking out of the room leaving Kensuke alone with a look of shock on his face. Slowly that look of shock turned into a smile and he spoke to himself in a whisper "Goodbye sweetheart."

**A short while later…**

Naru glared at Kakashi as she stood facing him with a scowl on her face. "I am not fighting a little kid" she said stubbornly. Kakashi sighed and rubbed at his temples. "It's not a fight Naru, it's a spar and you all need to get used to each other's fighting style if you're going to perform well as a team" he replied. The blonde Genin crossed her arms and shook her head. "No way!" she shouted.

The grey haired Jonin shut his eyes in his exasperation. He knew he would have trouble getting Naru to cooperate. The blonde had been less than thrilled when she found out that her new teammate would be a seven year old girl. Sasuke didn't seem to mind but then again all he probably cared about was the Chunin exams.

Kakashi was usually willing to indulge Naru's little temper tantrums however with the recent loss of Sakura his patience was wearing thin. After a minute the Jonin made up his mind on what he wanted to do. So with one last sigh he turned to the young Hyuga. "Attack her but go easy remember it's a spar" he said.

Naru stared at him in shock. "What do you think…" she began to ask before having to dodge to her left as Hanabi's open palm came flying towards her stomach. As soon as Naru dodged Hanabi's first strike a second one was already heading for her. The blonde responded by leaping backwards. Once her feet touched the ground she fell to her back.

Naru used her legs to scramble back as the small Hyuga continued to advance a look of fright filling her eyes. Hanabi seeing her opponent backing away went in for the kill, however she was stopped when Naru's leg lashed out and a sandaled foot slammed into her stomach causing her to double over.

Hanabi wrapped her arms around her midsection as she fell to her knees. The young girl gasped for breath as tears sprang from her eyes. Her pale eyes slowly turned up to gaze upon the blonde girl as she towered over her. She tried to speak but couldn't seem to get enough air to utter a sound.

Naru reached down with her right hand and grabbed the child by the throat before lifting her up by her thin neck. Hanabi's eyes widened when she saw the crimson gaze of her teammate. Naru's grip tightened around the small neck as the child clawed at her wrist trying to break the hold that was slowly killing her.

"_Is this how I'm going to die, strangled to death by my own teammate before I even go on a mission?" _Hanabi thought, her vision darkening as the world blurred before her.

Kakashi was nearly frozen in shock at Naru's violent reaction to Hanabi's attack. While he did expect the blonde to be upset about his order he certainly didn't expect her to try and strangle Hanabi. Kakashi quickly shook off his shock and rushed over to the pair of girls, it only took a second for Naru's blood red eyes to register with the Jonin.

"Stop this Naru! You're going to kill her" the grey haired man shouted as he grabbed the blonde's wrist. He tried to pry the fingers from around Hanabi's throat but trying to release Naru's grip was like trying to bend steel with his bare hands. Kakashi continued with his futile attempts to force Naru to let go however he noticed that Hanabi's struggling was slowing down and that the girl's face was turning blue.

Kakashi released Naru's arm. Grabbing a kunai from his holster he placed the blade against his blonde student's throat. "Naru please I'm begging you! Don't make me do this!" he said pleadingly. The blonde's head turned slowly to face Kakashi, her skin dragging across the razor sharp edge of the kunai sending a trickle of bright red blood down her neck. Still she held on.

Sasuke meanwhile stood off to the side staring at the trio in shock. While the fact that his new teammate was a little kid and a Hyuga as well, he certainly didn't want to see the girl killed. He knew that he should intervene and try to get Naru to stop but he couldn't seem to get his legs to move. A month and a half, that's all it took for his view of the world to be shattered.

Sasuke had been in the top of his class at the academy, they called him a genius. Naru on the other hand was dead last. Her grades were terrible and her skills negligible. She was nothing more than a nuisance with her loud mouth and brash actions. But when it came down to them sparring on that last day during the exam, she won.

He thought it was a fluke that he had underestimated her and that was all. Then Wave happened and he saw the truth that the adults had hidden from them. Naru held within her power, a power both terrible and vast. He knew at that moment, when she killed a Jonin in the blink of an eye that he wanted that power. _"Itachi wouldn't last a second against me if I had the Kyubi by my side or at the very least the Kyubi's container" _he thought.

So Sasuke would befriend Naru. Not too quickly of course. The girl was an idiot but she would get suspicious if he became too friendly overnight. He would start slow and then bit by bit she would become his. That of course would be impossible if Kakashi had to kill her to keep the Hyuga alive.

It was with this thought that Sasuke rushed over to them and grabbed Naru's shoulder. "Hey dead last snap out of it!" he shouted at her. As soon as the words left Sasuke's mouth Naru's hand released it's' hold on Hanabi's throat. Kakashi didn't waste any time as he kneeled next to the fallen child to see if she were still alive. The grey haired man let out a choked laugh as relief flooded through his body when he felt the girl's pulse.

At the same time that Kakashi was finding out that he wouldn't lose two more students Naru was busy yelling at Sasuke. "I told you not to call me dead last, you bastard!" she shouted. Sasuke grabbed her hair and yanked it before using it as a handhold to shove her head forward. "If you don't want to be called dead last then why don't you try to keep yourself from killing your teammate" he said with a growl.

Naru let out a yelp and tears welled up in her eyes. She would have retaliated against Sasuke's rough treatment but her eyes fell upon the limp form of her newest teammate. "What happened?" she asked although she already knew. She could feel the ache in her hand and see the ugly hand shaped bruise that was forming on the girl's small neck. "I…I…Is she…" the blonde finished her sentence with a whimper as Sasuke released his hold on her hair.

Kakashi scooped the young Hyuga up and cradled her in his arms. "She's still alive. I'm going to take her to the hospital. Sasuke I want you to take Naru to the Uchiha compound. Stop by her house first though and pick up a week's worth of clothes and supplies" he said. Sasuke knew from Kakashi's tone that he had no room for argument in this situation.

"Why do I have to go to his place? Why can't I just go home" asked a highly distressed Naru. Kakashi stared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Because you nearly killed the head of the Hyuga clan's daughter. You were completely out of control Naru." He said sternly. "I didn't mean to!" the blonde replied with a sob.

"And that is exactly why you are going to the Uchiha compound. I know you wouldn't purposely try to kill her and it is my fault for telling her to attack you in the first place but that might not be enough to keep the Hyuga from seeking retribution. Right now the safest place for you is with Sasuke. His name still carries weight at least in the political sense" he explained.

Kakashi looked down in alarm when Hanabi let out a pained cough. "I have to get going. Sasuke hurry up and get moving I want Naru behind your compound's walls before word of this reaches Hiashi" he said with some urgency. Sasuke responded with a nod and took Naru by the wrist. "Let's go blondie" he said as he gently tugged on her arm. Naru gave her Sensei one last worried look before turning away and following Sasuke towards her new house.

The pair of Genin stopped however when Kakashi called out to them. "I hesitated Naru. That's the only reason why I didn't cut your throat and while I may hate myself for the rest of my life I won't hesitate again. I've come to care about you, all of you more than I ever thought possible and it's for that reason that I won't let the Kyubi take control of you. I'll kill you before that ever happens" he said, his voice full of emotion.

Naru tried to say something in response but the only thing that came out was a whimper. Sasuke sighed and once again tugged on the crying girl's arm. "Come on Naru let's go" he said. The blonde girl nodded and meekly followed her raven haired teammate. It only took a short while for the duo to reach Naru's new home. Luckily for them Haruno-san was not there at the time.

Naru gathered the necessary items and scribbled a quick note to her adoptive father. Sasuke asked her if she had everything and she replied with a nod. So without further delay they made their way to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke lead his teammate towards the center of the compound. The two passed building after building before finally reaching a grand manor house sitting at the very heart of the Uchiha district.

Naru followed as Sasuke entered the house. He led her up a flight of stairs and down a dark hallway before stopping in front of a door. Naru watched listlessly as Sasuke opened the door and led them into the room. She looked around in shock once she got a good look at the room. Outside of the room everything was grey and colorless but inside the walls were painted a rich red.

At the center of the room sat a large four poster bed covered in silk sheets the color of blood. "It's beautiful Sasuke" she said in wonder. The raven haired boy smirked. "The Uchiha clan spares no expense when it comes to taste. This is just one of the many guest rooms that are in this house" he said with a hint of pride. Sasuke pointed to a door a few feet away from the bed "You'll find a full bath right through that door. Why don't you clean up while I prepare something for us to eat. Okay?"

Naru gave him a nod and watched as he left the room. Closing the door behind him the blonde girl padded over to the bed and flopped down on top of it. She let out a mewl of pleasure as the soft mattress seemed to swallow her up. Naru could have laid there forever but she knew that she should get moving before she fell asleep. So with a sigh the Genin rose and made her way over to the bathroom. She opened the door and noticed a light switch on the wall beside her. Naru flipped the switch and grinned when the room was illuminated for at the end of the room was an oversized tub that could probably fit five people.

"I think I'm going to like staying here" she said with a purr as her eyes flashed crimson before settling back to their normal blue.

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><p><strong>AN: And there's chapter 11. I hope you all enjoyed. If any of you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I'll try and answer to the best of my abilities without giving away the story. One thing I want to let you know is that there is a purpose to Naru's quick shifts in mood. That will be explained fairly soon… I think. As always thank you for reading and please review!**


	12. Episode 12: Revelation

**Episode 12:**

**"Revelation"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… well except for the set of Team 7 plushies but… well that will be our little secret.**

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><p>Sasuke was sitting at the head of a modestly sized table when Naru entered the room from a doorway opposite from where he sat. The raven haired Genin stared in shock at her appearance. Instead of her usual attire the blonde girl was wearing a sleeveless white dress with pale blue flowers seemingly randomly placed across the fabric and her hitai-ate was nowhere to be seen.<p>

Naru stood in the doorway her eyes focused on the ground though every once and a while they would flick up and glance at Sasuke before quickly darting back. "Ummm…" she said after standing there for a moment. Sasuke shut his eyes and sighed before shaking his head. "Stop standing there like an idiot and come sit down. The food is getting cold" he said in response.

For once Naru didn't react to his insult; she simply nodded and padded over to the table her bare feet barely making a sound. The blonde girl took the seat opposite of Sasuke's and sat down. She looked down at the table and smiled when she saw the bowl of ramen sitting before her. She looked up with the smile still on her face. "Thanks Sasuke" she said softly.

Sasuke returned her smile and nearly burst into laughter when he saw her shocked expression. "What?" he asked with a barely restrained chuckle. The blonde was flushed with embarrassment although her shocked expression didn't waiver. "Well you're smiling. You never smile!" she said with a hint of awe coloring her voice.

The raven haired youth snorted in response. "Just because I don't smile at you doesn't mean I don't smile" he said. Getting no response from the girl Sasuke picked up a pair of chopsticks near his bowl of ramen. "Itadakimasu" he said and began to eat. The blonde gaped at him for a moment before picking up her own chopsticks and following suit.

The pair spent the next little while enjoying their meal in silence. Although all good things must come to an end. At least that was Naru's train of thought as she stared forlornly at her now empty bowl. "You really should see yourself right now. You're staring at that bowl as if someone just killed your puppy" said Sasuke to break the silence. Naru looked up at him, her eyes suspiciously moist. The other Genin gave her a blank stare. "I swear upon the name Uchiha if you cry because the ramen is gone I will kill you" he said.

"I'm not going to cry!" the girl said with a sniffle. Sasuke could only shake his head in response. The young Genin stood up from his seat and gathered up both his and Naru's bowls before walking over to the sink and depositing them there. He walked back over to the table and stood beside Naru. "Follow me to the sitting room. I think we should have a little chat" he said.

Sasuke didn't wait for a response he simply turned away and headed out of the room. Naru stared at him as he walked out of the room. Realizing that she should follow the blonde girl quickly stood and chased after him a look of apprehension adorning her face. Naru caught up with him fairly quickly and continued to follow him until they reached a large room with multiple couches and tables as well as various armchairs where people could sit and relax.

Sasuke walked over to a cream colored couch and sat down. He gave Naru a small smirk and patted the seat beside him. The blonde looked slightly alarmed but she didn't want to insult Sasuke when he was being so nice to her. So with a mumbled curse Naru walked over and sat beside her teammate. "Heh… so what did you want to talk about Sasuke?" asked the girl nervously.

Sasuke right eyebrow rose slightly "Why don't we start with why you tried to kill our newest teammate? But I must say that my favorite one is Why do you occasionally mumble Mizuki's name in your sleep? Hell you even shout it when you wake up from a nightmare." The raven haired boy noted the look of alarm that flashed across the blonde's face.

"I didn't mean to try and kill Hanabi. I just… I don't know… lost control" she said while completely ignoring his second question. Sasuke shut his eyes and sighed in response. "Let me be honest Naru. I don't care about the Hyuga as long as she lives long enough for us to get through the exams I'll be happy" he said.

Sasuke completely ignored Naru's shocked expression and continued on speaking. "The thing I really want to know is how you went from being the dead last at the academy to being able to take down a Jonin. Sure I know about the Kyubi now but that never helped you in the past. I think it's something else. I think something happened to you that has allowed you to use the Kyubi's power and I know that Mizuki is involved somehow" he finished.

By the time he was done speaking Naru was shivering and tears were trickling down her face. "Sasuke I… Please just leave it alone Sasuke" she said, her voice thick with emotion. Sasuke frowned at her response. "Look we're teammates aren't we? You can trust me Naru. I won't tell anyone" he said. The blonde shook her head back and forth. "I...I… d…d…don't w…want to r…r...remember" she stuttered out with a suppressed sob.

Naru stood abruptly and turned to run off when she was stopped by tug on her arm. Panic filled blue eyes turned back to see Sasuke standing with his hand clamped firmly around her wrist. "Let go!" she said as she tried to pull away. Sasuke shook his head and held firm. "You may be an idiot but you're still my teammate Naru. Now stop trying to run away and tell me what happened!" he finished with a shout.

Naru's legs gave out from under her and she slumped to the ground. She looked up at Sasuke for second before her head dropped, her gaze settling on the wooden floor beneath her. "He raped me" she whispered. As soon as the words left her mouth Sasuke let go of her wrist. He stumbled backwards until he was stopped by the couch. The raven haired boy fell back and ended up sitting once again. "What did you just say?" he asked in disbelief.

"He raped me!" she shouted before sobbing hysterically.

When Sasuke had decided to confront Naru about Mizuki and his connection to her ability to call forth the Kyubi's power he thought that it had something to do with the scroll that his former teacher attempted to steal on the night that he betrayed the village. He never expected that the truth would be so much more horrible.

Sasuke didn't know how long he sat there listening to Naru's cries as they echoed throughout the room. He tried to ignore them, hoping that she would stop soon. That she would collect herself and return to the cheerful person she always seemed to be. The raven haired youth gritted his teeth and tried to shut out the sound. The pitiful cries were tugging at a part of him that he didn't think still existed.

After an indeterminate amount of time he finally gave up. He couldn't just sit there any longer as his blonde haired teammate fell apart. Sasuke took a deep breath and stood, determination shining in his eyes. He walked over to Naru who was now curled up on the floor, sobs still emanating from her shivering form. Kneeling before her Sasuke reached out and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Naru it's going to be ok. Mizuki is gone and won't be able to hurt you again" he said as softly as he could.

Naru looked up at him silently with bloodshot eyes. They stayed like that for a moment just staring at each other before Naru all of a sudden launched herself at Sasuke. The raven haired boy wasn't expecting to be tackled and so was knocked back. He landed with an "Oomph!" as Naru wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her. "He won't ever get near you again, I promise" he whispered in her ear. The girl turned her head to the side and rested her cheek against his chest. "It hurt Sasuke. It hurt so badly and I didn't know what to do" she said sadly. "Why didn't you tell anyone Naru?" he asked.

"I was confused. I grew up as an orphan and I barely knew anything about sex or physical intimacy. Hell I never even heard of rape until after it happened. I spoke to Dr. Sawase about it and she asked if I had been forced but I told her no. I thought because I never told M…M…Mizuki-sensei no that it was my fault" she said quietly.

"That isn't true Naru you're just a kid he was an adult. Even if you didn't say no he never should have touched you" he responded. "Heh… Yeah I know that now, trust me. During the month that I was on medical suspension I had a lot of time to think and read as well. I couldn't get what he did out of my mind. I would have nightmares of him hovering over me, of being inside me…" she trailed off as she pushed off of Sasuke and sat back on the ground with her legs crossed.

"It was through reading a book that I found out what being forced was called. Rape… such a small word but it comes with so much pain. I said it hurt Sasuke and it did but the physical pain faded soon enough. The emotional pain though… I wanted to forget Sasuke but no matter what I did it would always come back in my nightmares" Naru allowed herself a couple of deep breaths before continuing.

"That's how it can take a hold of me. The Kyubi is always there waiting to overwhelm me in a moment of weakness. It sends me nightmares and flashes of memory when it knows I'll have a hard time blocking it out. You saw it for yourself. When Sakura died I was in so much pain. She was the first girl to show me any kindness after what Mizuki did even if she never knew the truth of what happened. And I latched onto that like a lifeline." she let out a sigh and took a moment to collect herself.

"When she was killed I was so angry. I wanted to tear Zabuza a part limb from limb. So I gave in. I knew what it would mean but I didn't care. I willingly accepted that monster's power… and I enjoyed it. It's nearly indescribable Sasuke. It's as if your body is humming with pure energy" the girl looked away for a moment her cheeks darkening in a blush.

"I thought it would hurt but it's the opposite it's pure unfiltered pleasure. And that's the real problem" she finished with a sigh. "What do you mean that's the real problem?" asked a rather confused Sasuke. "Well it's addicting. You're a guy, how did you react when you realized that the greatest cure for boredom is in your pants?" she asked shamelessly. Sasuke actually blushed at that and looked away.

"It's getting easier too. The more I use the Kyubi's power the easier it is for me to draw on it. What happened today was an accident. I let my fear take over and allowed that power to flood my system. It overwhelmed my ability to think, to reason. I didn't see a little girl or even my new teammate. I saw an enemy… and enemy that I wanted to kill. Especially because of…" the blonde shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip to keep herself from continuing.

Sasuke looked at her suspiciously. "Because of what?" he asked. The blonde just shook her head in response, refusing to answer. Sasuke reached forward and rapped his knuckles gently across the girl's head. "Don't freeze up on me now Blondie. You've told me everything else so far" he said forcefully. Sasuke winced when he saw how Naru flinched when he spoke. "Look it's ok, you can trust me Naru" he said in a softer tone.

"She… she tried to hit my stomach" she responded before trailing off. Sasuke looked at her confusedly. "Why would it matter if she hit you in the stomach or not" he asked in his confusion. Naru sighed, her gazing falling to the floor as she brought her right hand up and placed it gently against her stomach. Bright blue eyes looked up from the ground and caught Sasuke's gaze.

"Because I'm pregnant" she said.

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><p><strong>AN: Now it's official… yes I am crazy! But no there won't be a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. And no I'm not pulling a fast one on you Naru is really pregnant. Before anyone goes off and says that she's too young I would like to make you aware that the youngest recorded pregnancy was in a 5 year old girl. Google it! As always thank you for reading and please review!**


	13. Episode 13: Unexpected

**Chapter 13 **

**Season 2**

**Episode 1: "Unexpected" **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor do I make any money from this story.**

**A/N: Welcome to season two everyone! While I know that the previous chapters weren't labeled as season one that will be corrected shortly. This chapter begins a whole new arc or season if you will. I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Naru watched intently from her place atop a tree stump as her teacher and fellow teammate fought against each other. The blonde girl tried not to smile at the expression on Sasuke's face each time that Kakashi knocked the raven haired Genin to the ground. Apparently she wasn't doing too good of a job because after being knocked down for the fifth time in a row he turned to the girl and gave her the dirtiest look he could muster.<p>

"Why don't you try it if you think it's so funny?" he asked with a growl.

Naru's hand shot towards her mouth to cover up the chuckles which threatened to break free. However seeing the blood red hue of the boy's legacy somewhat stifled her humor, at least enough so that she could talk. "No thanks, I'm happy right where I am! Plus I think you can take him. Don't give up!" she replied cheerfully. Sasuke glared at her darkly and mumbled to himself while getting back on his feet.

"Why don't you try Naru-sempai?" asked Hanabi in her usual soft tone. The blonde turned her head to gaze at her young teammate that sat beside her. "Uhhh… I don't feel like it…" she said lamely. The small Hyuga studied her in silence for a moment before turning her attention back to the two members of Team Seven currently locked in battle.

Naru looked away and sighed quietly to herself. It has been three weeks since she had told Sasuke about her condition and it hasn't been easy keeping the rest of Team Seven from finding out. While she may not be that physically different at two months pregnant her behavior was beginning to attract attention.

Naru could cover up the fact that she had odd cravings for certain types of food and the frequent need to empty her bladder but her absolute refusal to spar with her teammates was piquing her teacher's curiosity and she feared that he would soon begin to ask questions that she wasn't ready to answer especially with the Chunin exams only a week away.

Over the last three weeks Sasuke has been helping her design a way to fight by only using her shadow clones but it was slow going. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to enter the exams. Doing so would put the life of her unborn child at risk. Sasuke tried to convince her all she needed to do was enter and then she could drop out but she didn't know if that was even possible.

Naru once again found herself silently cursing her former teacher for the situation that he put her in. Sometimes she wished that he were still alive so that she could kill him herself. The blonder girl was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when a set of knuckles rapped against her head. "Ouch!" yelped the blonde as she looked up to see Kakashi leaning over her.

Naru reached up and gently rubbed at the now tender spot on her head "What the hell was that for Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi looked at her, his one visible eye slightly narrowed. "You're up Naru" he replied. The blonde Genin gulped and shook her head but stayed silent. Kakashi took a step back and studied his oldest female student.

"This isn't a request Naru, it's an order" he finally said. Naru sighed and looked away to hide the alarm that shone in her eyes. "Alright, alright I'm coming" she said while hopping off of the stump. Kakashi led the way towards the clearing where he sparred with Sasuke, Naru following behind.

The grey haired man turned around to face her, his visible eye turned up in his unique way of smiling. "Whenever you're ready" he said cheerfully. Naru stepped back until she was about 20 feet away from him, small hands going up to form a cross shaped seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" she shouted. With a puff of smoke two more Naru's appeared beside the original, one on each side.

With a silent command from Naru the two clones darted forward, splitting up halfway each clone took a wide curving path to come at their teacher from the side. The clone to Kakashi's left took the high road as she leapt the rest of the way to the grey haired man, her fist lashing out at the same time that the clone to the right slid to the ground at top speed, her foot aiming for Kakashi's knee.

The Jonin stood there calmly as the two shadow clones approached him at high speed. They were only a foot away from hitting him when he leaped into the air. Rotating his body Kakashi used the momentum to send a kick towards the left hand clone's face. The blonde shadow barely had time to look surprised before she was dispelled, the only evidence of her existence being the small cloud of smoke she left behind. Kakashi slammed both feet onto the second clone that was passing underneath as he came back down, dispelling it as well.

He turned to face his student, a compliment about to pass his lips when he had to jump back to avoid a fist aimed at his face. The Jonin's sigh of relief was cut short as something slammed into his back causing him to stumble forwards. Kakashi's eye widened when he realized that he was surrounded by an army of shadow clones. "Naru… remember this is just a spar" he said nervously.

Kakashi knew that he could handle the clones easily enough but he didn't have the blonde's monstrously large amount of chakra. He could never outlast Naru in a test of stamina so he would need to get past the clones to get at the original before they could wear him down. So with a nod to himself the leader of Team Seven rushed into the first group of clones that blocked his path to Naru.

Just as he thought, the clones were amazingly easy to defeat. Naru may have gigantic chakra reserves but her taijutsu could use some work. That isn't to say that the blonde haired clones never landed a hit. She may be weak in her taijutsu but she certainly made up for it in sheer numbers. For ever ten clones that he took out at least one would manage to land a kick or punch before being dispelled.

The battlefield was a whirlwind of chaos as Kakashi leapt back and forth, side to side dispelling clones left and right. The Jonin however was limited in what techniques he could use. Had this been an actual battle and not a spar, it would have been as easy as using a wide area of effect jutsu to take down both the clones and Naru.

Unfortunately that wasn't an option for him at this moment. After some time had passed with no real progress being made Kakashi was ready to call an end to the spar when he realized that there were no new clones coming at him. He looked around in confusion but all he could see was the thick smoke that blanketed the entire training field.

Kakashi reached up to uncover his sharingan when he felt a cool sensation settle on his throat. "You lose" Naru whispered in his ear. The Jonin slowly raised his other hand and held it up with its' twin "I surrender" he replied with a hint of pride in his voice. Once he was longer threatened by the possibility of having his throat cut Kakashi turned around to face his triumphant student.

Naru stood there before him on the very stump where she previously sat, her blue eyes cloudy with exhaustion. Sweat soaked shirt clinging to her petit frame as her chest heaved. Kakashi reached forward and brushed a lock of damp hair from her face. "I underestimated you Naru. You did well I'm proud" he said. The blonde gave him a small smile before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed.

**Later That Day…**

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat patiently in his seat at the head of a massive table, his fingers gently drumming against the polished wood. He watched silently as the other seats were slowly filled by the highest ranking shinobi in Konoha, the Jonin. This council of about 100 shinobi served in an advisory capacity to the leader of Konoha and could only be convened by order of the Hokage or upon his death.

Once it was clear that everyone had arrived the two members of ANBU that guarded the door shut and sealed it off before taking their places beside the Hokage. Hiruzen shut his eyes and breathed deeply, taking a moment to enjoy the silence as his Jonin watched on. The old man let out a sigh and opened his eyes, allowing them to travel from one side of the room to the other.

"Before I tell you why I have summoned you here today I want to make it clear that what is said here is to be considered a state secret. Anyone caught speaking of it outside of this council will be arrested, and executed no matter what their position in the village may be" Hiruzen said as his gaze trailed across the various clan heads.

The Hokage gave them a moment to allow his words to sink in before continuing "Now the reason that we have all gathered here today is due to a piece of information that has recently been brought before me. I will have Hatake Kakashi explain it further. I ask that you please keep any comments or questions to yourselves until he is finished. Kakashi if you please" he finished with a gesture to the grey haired Jonin.

Kakashi stood and bowed to the Hokage before turning to his fellow Jonin and bowing to them as well. "The reason that this council has been convened is because Uzumaki Naru is with child" he said with a wince as the room erupted with noise as soon as the words left his lips.

The Hokage gave them a few moments to get it out of their systems before slamming his fist against the table. "That's enough!" he shouted. "Hatake-san has the floor and unless he permits you to speak you will be silent!" Sarutobi said in a tone that shocked them into silence. "Please continue Kakashi" he said as he turned his gaze to the Jonin.

"Ah… Heh… Yes well…" The grey haired Jonin stuttered nervously. Kakashi brought his closed fist up to his mask and pretended to cough while he collected himself. He ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed "I'll just open the floor to questions if that's alright with you Hokage-sama." The aged leader responded with a nod.

The first person to come forward with a question was the head of the Hyuga Clan. Hyuga Hiashi stood from his seat and gazed upon the room with his pupil-less lavender eyes. The middle aged man had the noblest appearance of all the gathered Jonin, with his traditional clothing and long black hair. While he has been retired for many years now he still held the rank of Jonin and sat on this council.

"How did this come to pass Hatake-san?" asked the clan leader, his tone neutral. Kakashi just stared at him in response, his one eye blinking rapidly for a moment. "Well when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…" he began to joke before noticing the murderous looks on his fellow Jonin's faces. "…Not funny I guess?" he asked lamely.

All he received was a blank stare from the Hyuga clan head. The grey haired man once again let out a sigh "As to exactly what happened, we're not sure. The only thing we're one hundred percent certain of is that she's pregnant." Hiashi's lips turned down in a frown as he considered his next question. "Do we know who the father is?" he finally asked.

Kakashi shook his head in response. "I see…" said the clan head before sitting down once again. The next person to stand was Yamanaka Inoichi head of the Yamanaka clan and member of the Torture and Interrogation division. "What are the current whereabouts of Uzumaki-kun and is she secure?" the blonde man asked in a nicer tone than Hiashi.

"Currently Naru is at the Uchiha compound with her teammate Uchiha Sasuke. There has been a squad of ANBU shadowing her since we returned to the village" he replied. "Thank you Kakashi-san" Inoichi said with a smile before taking his seat. Inuzuka Tsume head of the Inuzuka clan stood. "Do we know how far along she is?" the feral looking woman asked.

"After speaking with her doctor we believe that she is at least eight weeks into her pregnancy" Kakashi responded. Tsume stood there for a moment, head bowed in contemplation. Another Jonin was going to ask her to sit down if she was finished with her questions when her head snapped up.

"Since the day she was born Uzumaki Naru has had ANBU watching over her. She is a vital asset to this village. So what took place about two months ago that would allow this to happen with no one knowing?" she asked with narrowed eyes before sitting down. A member of ANBU with a black cloak and a hawk shaped masked stepped forward. "When the traitor Mizuki stole the forbidden scroll ANBU in its, entirety was recalled. This would have left a hole in Uzumaki-kun's security" a soft female voice said from behind the clay mask. Kakashi frowned "The only people who would know of this are the ANBU who were watching her or…"

"…The traitor himself" a new voice interrupted. The room collectively turned to the person who interrupted Kakashi to see Shimura Danzo standing with his left arm resting on his walking stick. The old man gestured slightly to the left with his one remaining eye and a different member of ANBU stepped forward. The unknown shinobi pulled a file from his cloak and held it open in front of Danzo.

"After it was discovered that Mizuki had stolen the scroll ANBU was dispatched to track him down. They managed to find his trail fairly quickly. He was of course only a Chunin" the village elder said. "Then why did it take so long to catch him?" asked Sarutobi Asuma. Danzo glanced down at the file "There was a gap in the trail. Once Mizuki entered district 13 he seemingly vanished. It took 30 minutes for ANBU to reacquire his trail, five minutes later they had him in custody. It is my belief that at some point during those 30 minutes Mizuki made his way to Uzumaki's house where by consent or force Uzumaki's child was conceived" he finished.

The gathered Jonin stared at Danzo, some with looks of horror, others with disgust. One Jonin however stared at him, eyes burning with fury. "Why weren't we told about this sooner?" asked with a growl, her overly long canines bared. Danzo returned her gaze with a blank stare. "It wasn't until Kakashi made us aware of Uzumaki's condition that the final piece of the puzzle fit into place" he said coolly.

"Puzzle… You call this situation a puzzle?" asked the Inuzuka matriarch, her voice low. She stood up and slammed her palms on top of the table. "Uzumaki Naru is 12 years old! Do you honestly believe that she would have consented to sleeping with her teacher who just so happened to be running for his life?" asked Tsume, a hint of sadness coloring her voice.

The wild haired woman looked at her fellow Jonin. "While most of the village likes to pretend that it's not true everyone in this room knows that Uzumaki Naru is the third Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. She is also the youngest. We also know that the ability of the Jinchuriki to control its' power is directly tied to their emotions" she spoke while moving away from the table.

Tsume slowly circled the room as she continued to speak to her fellow Jonin "So let's recap, we have a 12 year old girl who is just beginning that wonderful phase of life called puberty. This girl has been neglected and ignored for most of her life and she was more than likely raped by someone she thought she could trust. Oh and let's not forget that this already emotionally unstable child is now pregnant. Probably with the child of the very man who raped her, who we happened to execute for his crimes not too long ago…"

"…so someone please tell me… What in the world are we supposed to do if she snaps?" the matriarch finished as she returned to her seat. Danzo opened his mouth to reply. He was interrupted however by an ANBU wearing a blood red cloak with a toad shaped mask covering his face. "We pray, because it gets worse" said a gravelly voice from behind the mask.

"What most people do not know is that a female Jinchuriki's hold over the demon inside is weakest during childbirth. In seven months when Naru goes into labor the Yondaime's seal will weaken to the point that the Kyubi may be able to break free" the red clad ANBU said. As soon as the member of ANBU finished his explanation a relatively new Jonin by the name of Kenzo shot to his feet. "We must kill the child before it can happen!" he shouted hysterically.

The room once again was filled with the shouts and exclamations from the assembled Jonin. The group seemed to be divided in two with one half calling for the abortion of Naru's unborn child and the other half disgusted with the idea. They were silenced once again as the room was suddenly bathed in a bright blue light.

Everyone turned their gaze upon the red cloaked ANBU who had his arm extended with his open palm facing up. Sitting in his hand was a swirling sphere of chakra. "**Rasengan**… It's good to see you once again Lord Jiraiya" said Danzo from across the table where he still stood. The ANBU used his free hand to pull the mask from his face revealing slightly wrinkled face with twin lines of red trailing down his face from the bottom of his eyes.

"The next person who even thinks of laying a hand on Naru or her child will die…painfully!" he said with a growl. Danzo stared at the Sannin coldly "Then I assume that you came here to make sure that the seal doesn't break. Jiraiya glanced at the Hokage before turning his gaze back on Danzo. "That's not why I'm here at least not originally" he said solemnly. Danzo's one eye opened "Then why would you have come back after all of this time if not for this?"

Jiraiya looked Danzo straight in the eye "In one week the Chunin exams will begin." Danzo's eye narrowed in response. "And what is so special about the Chunin exams?" he asked. Jiraiya's face had a frail look to it as he contemplated his next words.

"During the exams Orochimaru with the help of Suna will invade Konoha…"

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><p><strong>AN: And thus we begin the Chunin exam arc. Thanks for reading and please review!**

**Questions to contemplate!**

How does Jiraiya know about the invasion?

How did Kakashi find out about Naru's pregnancy?

How will the council of Jonin react?


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